Cardiac Arrhythmiasin Epilepsy: Troublemaker, Accomplice or Innocent Bystander?

Patients with epilepsy experience an excess burden of morbidity and mortality. Premature death occurs at twice the rate expected for age, and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the leading epilepsy-related cause of death.1 Peri-ictal arrhythmias were first described in the late 19th and 20th century.2 However, the clinical significance of heart rhythm disturbance in epilepsy and in particular, their potential role in SUDEP remains unclear. Case reports and case-series dominate the available literature, most commonly in the setting of inpatient video electroencephalography with the limitations of short-term monitoring as well as confounding factors such as anti-arrhythmic drug withdrawal.

Source: Heart Rhythm - September 16, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Julia C. Isbister, Raymond W. Sy, Christopher Semsarian Source Type: research