Do people die from epilepsy?

Most seizures end on their own and cause minimal concerns. Yet during some seizures, people can injure themselves, develop other medical problems or life-threatening emergencies. The overall risk of dying for a person with epilepsy is 1.6 to 3 times higher than for the general population. read more

More often than not, people with epilepsy do not die because of the epilepsy; instead they die because of the epileptic disease, especially if the disease is progressive (e.g. tumor) or can potentially recur (e.g. stroke). Less commonly people with epilepsy die because of seizures. read more

SUDEP accounts for 8-17% of deaths in people with epilepsy. The risk of sudden death in young adults with epilepsy is increased 24-fold compared to the general population. SUDEP is the number one cause of epilepsy related death in people with pharmaco-resistant epilepsy. read more