Epilepsy affects approximately 250,000 Australians, and yet very few people are aware that people with epilepsy are at risk of Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy.
SUDEP occurs when a person with epilepsy dies suddenly and prematurely and no other reason for their death is found. SUDEP is most likely to occur in people who have frequent tonic-clonic (convulsive) seizures, especially at night.
More research needs to be done to to find out the exact cause, but so far experts believe that the regularity and severity of seizures can alter a person’s heartbeat or breathing
