However risks of unnatural death are low in people with epilepsy
The suddenness with which epilepsy strikes can trigger accidents. What is less known is the propensity of epileptics to commit suicide.
A new study has shown that people diagnosed with epilepsy in England and Wales are at increased risk of dying from suicide and accidents.
Though the risks of dying unnaturally for people with epilepsy are low in absolute terms (0.3-0.5%), they are higher than in people without epilepsy, says Dr Hayley Gorton from The University of Manchester.
The research conducted at the University of Manchester and Swansea University, and funded by the NIHR, has been published in the journal JAMA Neurology today. According to a study in the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, there are about 10 million epileptics in India.
The team analysed data from 44,678 people with epilepsy compared to 891,429 persons without epilepsy in England and 14,051 people with epilepsy compared to 279,365 individuals without epilepsy in Wales.
The team analysed data from 44,678 people with epilepsy compared to 891,429 persons without epilepsy in England and 14,051 people with epilepsy compared to 279,365 individuals without epilepsy in Wales.
The data shows that compared to people without epilepsy, people with epilepsy are specifically:
• Twice as likely to die by suicide
• Three times more likely to die accidentally
• Five times more likely to die specifically by accidental medication poisoning
• Three and a half times as likely to die by intentional medication poisoning
Opioid painkillers and medicines for mental illness were most commonly taken in fatal poisonings among people with and without epilepsy, whereas fatal overdoses involving antiepileptic drugs were comparatively rare. Antiepileptic drugs were involved in about 10% of poisoning deaths among people with epilepsy.
Dr Gorton said: “Though unnatural death occurs rarely among all groups in the population, people with epilepsy are almost three times more likely to die from any unnatural cause than those without the condition. We already know that people with epilepsy are at increased risk of dying prematurely, but such a detailed examination of specific types of unnatural death has not been carried out until now.However, the direct causes of these increased mortality risks are not yet fully understood.”
