Children with Epilepsy Have Higher-Than-Expected Risk of Death in Adulthood

The study by Shinnar et al published in December 23 issue of New England Journal of Medicine reported children with epilepsy have higher death rates in adulthood  than general population.   24% of them died over a 40-year period, a rate that was three times higher than expected in the general population. About 55% of these deaths were found to be related to epilepsy. About half of the children outgrew their seizures and their risk of dying was no higher than expected. The increased risk of death was limited to people who had not been seizure-free for at least five years and those who had another neurologic condition, particularly severe cognitive impairment.