SUDEP, Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, Epilepsy Fatal
The term Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is used when someone with epilepsy dies suddenly, and no other cause of death is found. The patient often dies during sleep.
In the Netherlands, there are no precise statistics on sudden death in epilepsy. Based on literature, it is estimated that around 30 to 40 people die each year from SUDEP. The circumstances and/or causes leading to SUDEP are still not fully understood. However, it is known that SUDEP typically occurs during the night, and there may be a cessation of breathing or a cardiac arrest following a tonic-clonic seizure. Research also shows that death occurs within two to fifteen minutes after a seizure. Therefore, optimal seizure detection for at-risk groups is important.
At-risk groups among epilepsy patients include: individuals under 45 years old, those with generalized tonic-clonic seizures, patients whose seizures are poorly controlled, individuals with chronic epilepsy (lasting longer than ten years) or those whose epilepsy started before the age of ten. Additionally, men are at higher risk than women, and sleeping on the stomach or alone are considered risk factors.
Kempenhaeghe is active in scientific research and innovation to further improve seizure detection techniques. The new system 'Nightwatch' is one such result. Testing has shown that Nightwatch can provide reliable alerts for many high-risk patients. However, epilepsy remains an unpredictable condition with unpredictable outcomes for some patients.