Epilepsy is not a single condition but a large group of highly heterogeneous disorders, which in common has an abnormally increased predisposition to seizures (1).
Epilepsy should be considered as a symptom caused by an underlying neurological disorder and not as a single disease entity (2).
It is a diagnosis which sadly and unnecessarily carries physical, psychosocial and economic implications for the patient. As such, it ought to not be applied without thorough consideration.
Note that there is confusion between the terms epilepsy and seizure, and they are often used interchangeably. The confusion is not helped by the term status epilepticus, which need not have anything to do with epilepsy. The two are separated here.
People with epilepsy (PWE) have a higher mortality rate than the general population (4)
In a UK based study (4) number of deaths within the database increased by 69% between the first and last year of the study (2014 compared with 2004)
UK Biobank study (n=329,432; 2699 with epilepsy) found pts with epilepsy had an increased risk of all cardiac arrhythmias (HR 1.36; 95% CI 1.21-1.53), atrial fibrillation (AF) (1.26) & other cardiac arrhythmias (1.56) especially in those using carbamazepine and valproic acid vs pts without epilepsy (5)
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