About Epilespy
What is Epilespy?
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder that causes recurring, unprovoked seizures. It can result from injury, genetics, or unknown causes, and seizures may look different for each person.
Symptoms vary depending on where and how seizures begin in the brain, and some people experience more than one type. While medical testing can help define epilepsy types, its impact goes far beyond seizures—affecting safety, work, relationships, and daily life.
SUDEP
What is SUDEP?
SUDEP is the sudden, unexplained death of an otherwise healthy person with epilepsy, with no other cause found at autopsy. Each year, over 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP, and the risk rises to 1 in 150 with uncontrolled seizures. It is rare in children but the leading cause of death in young adults with uncontrolled epilepsy.
What Happens?
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People with epilepsy are often found dead in bed without signs of a convulsive seizure.
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About one-third show evidence of a seizure close to the time of death.
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They are frequently discovered lying face down.
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The exact cause of SUDEP is unknown.
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Some researchers believe seizures may trigger irregular heart rhythms.
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Other studies suggest possible suffocation from impaired breathing, fluid in the lungs, and being face down on bedding.
Can SUDEP be Prevented?
The best way to reduce SUDEP risk is by controlling seizures. Most people can manage epilepsy with available treatments, good seizure-care practices, and support from a specialist. Those with severe, hard-to-control epilepsy may lower risk by taking extra precautions and participating in research for better therapies.
First Aid for Seizures
First Aid 101
When most people think of a seizure, they think of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, also called a grand mal seizure. In this type of seizure, the person may cry out, fall, shake or jerk, and become unaware of what’s going on around them.
Here are things you can do to help someone who is having a grand mal seizure:
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Ease the person to the floor.
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Turn the person gently onto one side. This will help the person breathe.
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Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp. This can prevent injury.
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Put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under his or her head.Remove eyeglasses.Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make it hard to breathe.
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Time the seizure.
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Call 911 if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.
First aid for seizures involves keeping the person safe until the seizure stops by itself.
NOTE
There are many types of seizures. Most seizures end in a few minutes.
Here are general steps to help someone who is having any type of seizure:
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Stay with the person until the seizure ends and he or she is fully awake. After it ends, help the person sit in a safe place.
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Once they are alert and able to communicate, tell them what happened in very simple terms.
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Comfort the person and speak calmly.
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Check to see if the person is wearing or a medical bracelet or other emergency information.
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Keep yourself and other people calm.
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Offer to call a taxi or another person to make sure the person gets home safely.