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Ito Y, Hata N, Maesawa S, Tanei T, Ishizaki T, Mutoh M, Hashida M, Kobayashi Y, Saito R. Characteristics of deceased subjects transported to a postmortem imaging center due to unusual death related to epilepsy. Epilepsia Open 2024; 9:592-601. [PMID: 38173171 PMCID: PMC10984304 DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Patients with epilepsy have high risk of experiencing uncommon causes of death. This study aimed to evaluate patients who underwent unusual deaths related to epilepsy and identify factors that may contribute to these deaths and may also include sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). METHODS We analyzed 5291 cases in which a postmortem imaging (PMI) study was performed using plane CT, because of an unexplained death. A rapid troponin T assay was performed using peripheral blood samples. Clinical information including the cause of death suspected by the attending physician, body position, place of death, medical history, and antiseizure medications was evaluated. RESULTS A total of 132 (2.6%) patients had an obvious history of epilepsy, while 5159 individuals had no history of epilepsy (97.4%). Cerebrovascular disease was the cause of death in 1.6% of patients in the group with epilepsy, and this was significantly lower than that in the non-epilepsy group. However, drowning was significantly higher (9.1% vs. 4.4%). Unspecified cause of death was significantly more frequent in the epilepsy group (78.0% vs. 57.8%). Furthermore, the proportion of patients who demonstrated elevation of troponin T levels without prior cardiac disease was significantly higher in the epilepsy group (37.9% vs. 31.1%). At discovery of death, prone position was dominant (30.3%), with deaths occurring most commonly in the bedroom (49.2%). No antiseizure medication had been prescribed in 12% of cases, while 29.5% of patients were taking multiple antiseizure medications. SIGNIFICANCE The prevalence of epilepsy in individuals experiencing unusual death was higher than in the general population. Despite PMI studies, no definitive cause of death was identified in a significant proportion of cases. The high troponin T levels may be explained by long intervals between death and examination or by higher incidence of myocardial damage at the time of death. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY This study investigated unusual deaths in epilepsy patients, analyzing 5291 postmortem imaging cases. The results showed that 132 cases (2.6%) had a clear history of epilepsy. In these cases, only 22% cases were explained after postmortem examination, which is less than in non-epilepsy group (42.2%). Cerebrovascular disease was less common in the epilepsy group, while drowning was more common. Elevated troponin T levels, which suggest possibility of myocardial damage or long intervals between death and examination, were also more frequent in the epilepsy group compared to non-epilepsy group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiki Ito
- Department of NeurosurgeryNagoya University School of MedicineNagoyaAichiJapan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sakura General HospitalAichiJapan
| | - Nobuhiro Hata
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sakura General HospitalAichiJapan
| | - Satoshi Maesawa
- Department of NeurosurgeryNagoya University School of MedicineNagoyaAichiJapan
| | - Takafumi Tanei
- Department of NeurosurgeryNagoya University School of MedicineNagoyaAichiJapan
| | - Tomotaka Ishizaki
- Department of NeurosurgeryNagoya University School of MedicineNagoyaAichiJapan
| | - Manabu Mutoh
- Department of NeurosurgeryNagoya University School of MedicineNagoyaAichiJapan
| | - Miki Hashida
- Department of NeurosurgeryNagoya University School of MedicineNagoyaAichiJapan
| | | | - Ryuta Saito
- Department of NeurosurgeryNagoya University School of MedicineNagoyaAichiJapan
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2
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Peltola J, Surges R, Voges B, von Oertzen TJ. Expert opinion on diagnosis and management of epilepsy-associated comorbidities. Epilepsia Open 2024; 9:15-32. [PMID: 37876310 PMCID: PMC10839328 DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Apart from seizure freedom, the presence of comorbidities related to neurological, cardiovascular, or psychiatric disorders is the largest determinant of a reduced health-related quality of life in people with epilepsy (PwE). However, comorbidities are often underrecognized and undertreated, and clinical management of comorbid conditions can be challenging. The focus of a comprehensive treatment regimen should maximize seizure control while optimizing clinical management of treatable comorbidities to improve a person's quality of life and overall health. A panel of four European epileptologists with expertise in their respective fields of epilepsy-related comorbidities combined the latest available scientific evidence with clinical expertise and collaborated to provide consensus practical advice to improve the identification and management of comorbidities in PwE. This review provides a critical evaluation for the diagnosis and management of sleep-wake disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive dysfunction, and depression in PwE. Whenever possible, clinical data have been provided. The PubMed database was the main search source for the literature review. The deleterious pathophysiological processes underlying neurological, cardiovascular, or psychiatric comorbidities in PwE interact with the processes responsible for generating seizures to increase cerebral and physiological dysfunction. This can increase the likelihood of developing drug-resistant epilepsy; therefore, early identification of comorbidities and intervention is imperative. The practical evidence-based advice presented in this article may help clinical neurologists and other specialist physicians responsible for the care and management of PwE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jukka Peltola
- Faculty of Medicine and Health TechnologyTampere UniversityTampereFinland
- Department of NeurologyTampere University HospitalTampereFinland
| | - Rainer Surges
- Department of EpileptologyUniversity Hospital BonnBonnGermany
| | - Berthold Voges
- Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Center HamburgProtestant Hospital AlsterdorfHamburgGermany
| | - Tim J. von Oertzen
- Medical FacultyJohannes Kepler UniversityLinzAustria
- Department of Neurology 1, Neuromed CampusKepler University HospitalLinzAustria
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3
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Liu Z, Thergarajan P, Antonic-Baker A, Chen Z, Sparks PB, Lannin NA, Kwan P, Jones NC, Casillas-Espinosa PM, Perucca P, O'Brien TJ, Sivathamboo S. Cardiac structural and functional abnormalities in epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Epilepsia Open 2023; 8:46-59. [PMID: 36648338 PMCID: PMC9977759 DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Epilepsy is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Whether cardiac structure and function are altered in epilepsy remains unclear. To address this, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating cardiac structure and function in patients with epilepsy. METHODS We searched the electronic databases MEDLINE, PubMed, COCHRANE, and Web of Science from inception to 31 December 2021. Primary outcomes of interest included left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) for studies reporting echocardiogram findings and cardiac weight and fibrosis for postmortem investigations. Study quality was assessed using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) assessment tools. RESULTS Among the 10 case-control studies with epilepsy patients (n = 515) and healthy controls (n = 445), LVEF was significantly decreased in epilepsy group compared with controls (MD: -1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -3.56 to -0.04; P = 0.045), whereas A-wave velocity (MD: 4.73; 95% CI: 1.87-7.60; P = 0.001), E/e' ratio (MD: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.06-0.71; P = 0.019), and isovolumic relaxation time (MD: 10.18; 95% CI: 2.05-18.32; P = 0.014) were increased in epilepsy, compared with controls. A pooled analysis was performed in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) cases with autopsy data (n = 714). Among SUDEP cases, the prevalence of cardiac hypertrophy was 16% (95% CI: 9%-23%); cardiac fibrosis was 20% (95% CI: 15%-26%). We found no marked differences in cardiac hypertrophy, heart weight, or cardiac fibrosis between SUDEP cases and epilepsy controls. SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that epilepsy is associated with altered diastolic and systolic echocardiogram parameters compared with healthy controls. Notably, SUDEP does not appear to be associated with a higher incidence of structural cardiac abnormalities, compared with non-SUDEP epilepsy controls. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the prognostic significance of such changes. Echocardiography may be a useful noninvasive diagnostic test in epilepsy population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zining Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peravina Thergarajan
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ana Antonic-Baker
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Zhibin Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul B Sparks
- Department of Cardiology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Natasha A Lannin
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Patrick Kwan
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Neurology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nigel C Jones
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Pablo M Casillas-Espinosa
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Piero Perucca
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Neurology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Bladin-Berkovic Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Department of Neurology, Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine (Austin Health), Epilepsy Research Centre, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Terence J O'Brien
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Neurology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shobi Sivathamboo
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Neurology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Pang TD, Nearing BD, Schachter SC, Verrier RL. Epileptic seizures and Epilepsy Monitoring Unit admission disclose latent cardiac electrical instability. Epilepsy Behav 2022; 135:108881. [PMID: 36027867 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2022.108881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sudden cardiac arrest results from cardiac electrical instability and is 3-fold more frequent in patients with chronic epilepsy than in the general population. We hypothesized that focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FTBTCS) would acutely impact T-wave alternans (TWA), a marker of cardiac electrical instability linked to an elevated risk for sudden cardiac death, more than focal seizures (FS) [focal aware seizures (FAS) and focal with impaired awareness seizures (FIAS)], due to their greater sympathetic stimulation of the heart. Since stress has been shown to cause significant TWA elevations in patients with heart disease, we also hypothesized that the early days of an inpatient admission to an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) would be associated with higher TWA levels compared to later hospital days in patients with chronic epilepsy, presumably due to stress. DESIGN/METHODS We analyzed the acute effects of seizures [FAS, FIAS, FTBTCS, and nonepileptic seizures (NES)] and day of hospital stay on TWA in 18 patients admitted to the EMU using high-resolution wireless electrocardiographic (ECG) patch monitors. RESULTS A total of 5 patients had FTBTCS, 7 patients had FS (2 FAS, 5 FIAS), and 3 patients had NES only during the index hospital stay. Four patients did not have any electroclinical seizures or NES. FTBTCS resulted in marked acute increases in ictal TWA from baseline (2 ± 0.3 µV) to ictal maximum (70 ± 6.1 µV, p < 0.0001), the latter exceeding the 60 µV cut point defined as severely abnormal. By comparison, while FAS and FIAS also provoked significant increases in TWA (from 2 ± 0.5 µV to 30 ± 3.3 µV, p < 0.0001), maximum ictal TWA levels did not reach the 47 µV cut point defined as abnormal. Heart rate increases during FTBTCS from baseline (62 ± 5.8 beats/min) to ictal maximum (134 ± 8.6 beats/min, an increase of 72 ± 7.2 beats/min, p < 0.02) were also greater (p = 0.014) than heart rate increases during FS (from 70 ± 5.2 beats/min to 118 ± 6.2 beats/min, an increase of 48 ± 2.6 beats/min, p < 0.03). In 3 patients with NES, TWA rose mildly during the patients' typical episodes (from 2 ± 0.6 µV to 14 ± 2.6 µV, p < 0.0004), well below the cut point of abnormality, while heart rate increases were observed (from 75 ± 1.3 to 112 ± 8.7 beats/min, an increase of 37 ± 8.9 beats/min, p = 0.03). Patients with EEG-confirmed electroclinical seizures recorded while in the EMU exhibited significantly elevated interictal TWA maxima (61 ± 3.4 µV) on EMU admission day which were similar in magnitude to ictal maxima seen during FTBTCS (70 ± 6.1 µV, p = 0.21). During subsequent days of hospitalization, daily interictal TWA maxima showed gradual habituation in patients with both FS and FTBTCS but not in patients with NES only. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to our knowledge demonstrating that FTBTCS acutely provoke highly significant increases in TWA to levels that have been associated with heightened risk for sudden cardiac death in other patient populations. We speculate that mortality temporally associated with FTBTCS may, in some cases, be due to sudden cardiac death rather than respiratory failure. In patients with EEG-confirmed epilepsy, hospital admission is associated with interictal TWA maxima that approach those seen during FTBTCS, presumably related to stress during the early phase of hospitalization compared to later in the hospitalization, indicating cardiac electrical instability and potential vulnerability to sudden cardiac death related to stress independent of temporal relationships to seizures. The elevated heart rates observed acutely with seizures and on hospital Day 1 are consistent with a hyperadrenergic state and the effect of elevated sympathetic output on a vulnerable cardiac substrate, a phenomenon termed "the Epileptic Heart."
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Affiliation(s)
- Trudy D Pang
- Departments of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Bruce D Nearing
- Departments of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Boston, MA, United States
| | - Steven C Schachter
- Departments of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Boston, MA, United States; Departments of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation & Technology (CIMIT), Boston, MA, United States
| | - Richard L Verrier
- Departments of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Boston, MA, United States
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5
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Verrier RL, Pang TD, Nearing BD, Schachter SC. The Epileptic Heart and the Case for Routine Use of the Electrocardiogram in Patients with Chronic Epilepsy. Neurol Clin 2022; 40:699-716. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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6
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Oveisgharan S, Ghaffarpasand F, Sörös P, Toma M, Sarrafzadegan N, Hachinski V. Brain, heart, and sudden death. CURRENT JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY 2022; 21:40-51. [PMID: 38011455 PMCID: PMC9527862 DOI: 10.18502/cjn.v21i1.9361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
During the past 30 years, rate of coronary artery disease (CAD), as the main cause of sudden death (SD), has decreased more than rate of SD. Likewise, cause of SD remains elusive in not a trivial portion of its victims. One possible reason is attention to only one organ, the heart, as the cause of SD. In fact, SD literature focuses more on the heart, less on the brain, and seldom on both. A change is required. In this paper, we first review the pathological findings seen in heart autopsies of SD victims after psychological stressors such as physical assault victims without internal injuries. Then, we summarize new studies investigating brain areas, like the insula, whose malfunctions and injuries are related to SD. Next, we review prototypes of neurological diseases and psychological stressors associated with SD and look at heart failure (HF)-related SD providing evidence for the brain-heart connection. Finally, we propose a new look at SD risk factors considering both brain and heart in their association with SD, and review strategies for prevention of SD from this perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahram Oveisgharan
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University of Medical Sciences, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Peter Sörös
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Mustafa Toma
- Division of Cardiology, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Nizal Sarrafzadegan
- Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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7
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Negro G, Ciconte G, Borrelli V, Rondine R, Maiolo V, Pappone C. Sudden death of a patient with epilepsy: When Brugada syndrome mimicry can be fatal. HeartRhythm Case Rep 2021; 8:205-208. [PMID: 35492846 PMCID: PMC9039568 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrcr.2021.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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8
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Autonomic manifestations of epilepsy: emerging pathways to sudden death? Nat Rev Neurol 2021; 17:774-788. [PMID: 34716432 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-021-00574-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Epileptic networks are intimately connected with the autonomic nervous system, as exemplified by a plethora of ictal (during a seizure) autonomic manifestations, including epigastric sensations, palpitations, goosebumps and syncope (fainting). Ictal autonomic changes might serve as diagnostic clues, provide targets for seizure detection and help us to understand the mechanisms that underlie sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Autonomic alterations are generally more prominent in focal seizures originating from the temporal lobe, demonstrating the importance of limbic structures to the autonomic nervous system, and are particularly pronounced in focal-to-bilateral and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The presence, type and severity of autonomic features are determined by the seizure onset zone, propagation pathways, lateralization and timing of the seizures, and the presence of interictal autonomic dysfunction. Evidence is mounting that not all autonomic manifestations are linked to SUDEP. In addition, experimental and clinical data emphasize the heterogeneity of SUDEP and its infrequent overlap with sudden cardiac death. Here, we review the spectrum and diagnostic value of the mostly benign and self-limiting autonomic manifestations of epilepsy. In particular, we focus on presentations that are likely to contribute to SUDEP and discuss how wearable devices might help to prevent SUDEP.
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9
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Verrier RL, Pang TD, Nearing BD, Schachter SC. Epileptic heart: A clinical syndromic approach. Epilepsia 2021; 62:1780-1789. [PMID: 34236079 DOI: 10.1111/epi.16966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Prevention of premature death in patients with chronic epilepsy remains a major challenge. Multiple pathophysiologic factors have been implicated, with intense investigation of cardiorespiratory mechanisms. Up to four in five patients with chronic epilepsy exhibit cardiovascular comorbidities. These findings led us to propose the concept of an "epileptic heart," defined as "a heart and coronary vasculature damaged by chronic epilepsy as a result of repeated surges in catecholamines and hypoxemia leading to electrical and mechanical dysfunction." Among the most prominent changes documented in the literature are high incidence of myocardial infarction and arrhythmia, altered autonomic tone, diastolic dysfunction, hyperlipidemia, and accelerated atherosclerosis. This suite of pathologic changes prompted us to propose for the first time in this review a syndromic approach for improved clinical detection of the epileptic heart condition. In this review, we discuss the key pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the candidate criteria along with standard and novel techniques that permit evaluation of each of these factors. Specifically, we present evidence of the utility of standard 12-lead, ambulatory, and multiday patch-based electrocardiograms, along with measures of cardiac electrical instability, including T-wave alternans, heart rate variability to detect altered autonomic tone, echocardiography to detect diastolic dysfunction, and plasma biomarkers for assessing hyperlipidemia and accelerated atherosclerosis. Ultimately, the proposed clinical syndromic approach is intended to improve monitoring and evaluation of cardiac risk in patients with chronic epilepsy to foster improved therapeutic strategies to reduce premature cardiac death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L Verrier
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Trudy D Pang
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bruce D Nearing
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Steven C Schachter
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation and Technology, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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10
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Soh MS, Bagnall RD, Bennett MF, Bleakley LE, Mohamed Syazwan ES, Phillips AM, Chiam MDF, McKenzie CE, Hildebrand M, Crompton D, Bahlo M, Semsarian C, Scheffer IE, Berkovic SF, Reid CA. Loss-of-function variants in K v 11.1 cardiac channels as a biomarker for SUDEP. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2021; 8:1422-1432. [PMID: 34002542 PMCID: PMC8283159 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To compare the frequency and impact on the channel function of KCNH2 variants in SUDEP patients with epilepsy controls comprising patients older than 50 years, a group with low SUDEP risk, and establish loss‐of‐function KCNH2 variants as predictive biomarkers of SUDEP risk. Methods We searched for KCNH2 variants with a minor allele frequency of <5%. Functional analysis in Xenopus laevis oocytes was performed for all KCNH2 variants identified. Results KCNH2 variants were found in 11.1% (10/90) of SUDEP individuals compared to 6.0% (20/332) of epilepsy controls (p = 0.11). Loss‐of‐function KCNH2 variants, defined as causing >20% reduction in maximal amplitude, were observed in 8.9% (8/90) SUDEP patients compared to 3.3% (11/332) epilepsy controls suggesting about threefold enrichment (nominal p = 0.04). KCNH2 variants that did not change channel function occurred at a similar frequency in SUDEP (2.2%; 2/90) and epilepsy control (2.7%; 9/332) cohorts (p > 0.99). Rare KCNH2 variants (<1% allele frequency) associated with greater loss of function and an ~11‐fold enrichment in the SUDEP cohort (nominal p = 0.03). In silico tools were unable to predict the impact of a variant on function highlighting the need for electrophysiological analysis. Interpretation These data show that loss‐of‐function KCNH2 variants are enriched in SUDEP patients when compared to an epilepsy population older than 50 years, suggesting that cardiac mechanisms contribute to SUDEP risk. We propose that genetic screening in combination with functional analysis can identify loss‐of‐function KCNH2 variants that could act as biomarkers of an individual’s SUDEP risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming S Soh
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Richard D Bagnall
- Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology at Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark F Bennett
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Epilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
| | - Lauren E Bleakley
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Erlina S Mohamed Syazwan
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - A Marie Phillips
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Mathew D F Chiam
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Chaseley E McKenzie
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael Hildebrand
- Epilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Douglas Crompton
- Epilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.,Neurology Department, Northern Health, Epping, VIC, Australia
| | - Melanie Bahlo
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Christopher Semsarian
- Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology at Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ingrid E Scheffer
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Epilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Samuel F Berkovic
- Epilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
| | - Christopher A Reid
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Epilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
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11
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Cheng CY, Hsu CY, Wang TC, Jeng YC, Yang WH. The risk of cardiac mortality in patients with status epilepticus: A 10-year study using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Epilepsy Behav 2021; 117:107901. [PMID: 33740495 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.107901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore whether status epilepticus affected cardiac mortality. METHODS We used the 2008-2017 multicause mortality data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiological Research. The status epilepticus group included patients whose death certificates mentioned status epilepticus as contributing to death. The non-status epilepticus group included patients whose death certificates mentioned epilepsy, other and unspecified convulsions, febrile convulsions, or post-traumatic seizures, as contributing to death. The outcomes for evaluation were death certificates that indicated that myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, or cardiac arrest (CA) was the immediate cause of death. The numbers of deaths and population sizes by categorical demographics were recorded and subjected to multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Among the 14,487 death certificates in status epilepticus group; 3080 patients (21.3%) died of CA. When clinical records were compared to autopsy data, females were at a lower risk of myocardial infarction (odds ratio [OR]: 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51-0.61). Patients aged 45-65 years and older than 65 years were at a higher risk of developing all four cardiac complications. Status epilepticus was associated with higher risks of arrhythmia (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.11-2.15) and CA (OR: 4.34, 95% CI: 3.49-5.39) but a reduced risk of myocardial infarction (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.30-0.57) as the cause of immediate death. CONCLUSION The frequency of CA in patients with status epilepticus increased between 2008 and 2017. Male and elderly patients were at a higher risk of cardiogenic mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Yu Cheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Institute of Molecular Biology, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Yu Hsu
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Chung Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan; College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Chung Jeng
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Yunlin Branch, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Hsun Yang
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Neurosurgery, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital (Built and Operated by Chang Gung Medical Foundation), New Taipei City, Taiwan.
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12
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Connolly M, Lekoubou A, Bishu KG, Ovbiagele B. Sudden cardiac arrest in epilepsy patients undergoing continuous video electroencephalogram monitoring: The national inpatient sample. Epilepsy Res 2020; 168:106487. [PMID: 33120303 DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2020.106487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between epilepsy and sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and identify clinical and healthcare system related predictors of SCA in patients with a discharge diagnosis of epilepsy undergoing continuous video EEG (cVEEG) monitoring. METHODS The national inpatient sample was used as data source to identify adults (18 years and older) with a primary discharge diagnosis of epilepsy who were at some point during their hospitalization on cVEEG monitoring. We applied a logistic regression model to identify independent patient-related and hospital/healthcare system-related factors associated with SCA. RESULTS A total of weighted 10,059 (0.71 %) patients with epilepsy on cVEEG had a secondary discharge diagnosis of SCA. The main independent factors associated with SCA were the presence of any of the following secondary discharge diagnoses: paroxysmal arrhythmia (OR: 2.29, 95 %CI: 1.96-2.66), myocardial infarction (OR: 3.78, 95 %CI: 2.83-5.05), congestive heart failure (OR: 2.27, 95 %CI: 1.93-2.62), and anoxic brain injury (OR: 57.6, 95 %CI: 50.83-67.27). There was no association between refractory epilepsy and SCA (OR: 0.99, 95 %CI: 0.51-1.93). CONCLUSION SCA is a rare event occurring in < 1% of patients with epilepsy undergoing cVEEG monitoring in the United States. Key independent contributors to occurrence of SCA are presence of select cardiovascular conditions and anoxic brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Connolly
- Department of Neurology, Penn State University, Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Alain Lekoubou
- Department of Neurology, Penn State University, Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
| | - Kinfe G Bishu
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; Section of Health Systems Research and Policy, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Bruce Ovbiagele
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
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13
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Chaumont C, Bourilhon J, Chastan N, Mirolo A, Eltchaninoff H, Anselme F. Recurrent seizures in a young woman: when video-EEG diagnoses a cardiac cause: a case report. EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL-CASE REPORTS 2020; 4:1-6. [PMID: 33426439 PMCID: PMC7780438 DOI: 10.1093/ehjcr/ytaa236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Background While transient loss of consciousness is a frequent presenting symptom, differential diagnosis between syncope and epilepsy can be challenging. Misdiagnosis of epilepsy leads to important psychosocial consequences and eliminates the opportunity to treat patient’s true condition. Case summary A 39-year-old woman presenting with recurrent seizures since her childhood was referred to neurological consultation. Electroencephalograms (EEGs) and magnetic resonance imaging previously performed were normal. A sleep-deprived video-EEG was performed and highlighted after 12 h of sleep deprivation a progressive dropping of the heart rate followed by a complete heart block without ventricular escape rhythm and asystole for about 30 s. Her EEG recording later showed diffuse slow waves traducing a global cerebral dysfunction and suffering. The diagnosis of vaso-vagal syncope with predominant cardioinhibitory response was made and a dual-chamber pacemaker with rate-drop response algorithm was implanted. After a 2 years of follow-up, the patient remained free of syncope. Discussion Patients presenting with loss of consciousness and convulsion are often diagnosed with epilepsy despite normal EEGs. In patients presenting with recurrent seizures with unclear diagnosis of epilepsy or in a situation of drug-resistant epilepsy, syncope diagnosis should always be considered and a risk stratification is necessary. The benefit of pacemaker implantation in patients with recurrent vaso-vagal syncope is still very controversial. Only patients presenting with spontaneous asystole should be considered for pacemaker implantation in case of recurrent vaso-vagal syncope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corentin Chaumont
- Department of Cardiology, Rouen University Hospital, CHU de Rouen, 1 rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen, France
| | - Julie Bourilhon
- Department of Neurology, Rouen University Hospital, CHU de Rouen, 1 rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen, France
| | - Nathalie Chastan
- Department of Neurology, Rouen University Hospital, CHU de Rouen, 1 rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen, France
| | - Adrian Mirolo
- Department of Cardiology, Rouen University Hospital, CHU de Rouen, 1 rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen, France
| | - Hélène Eltchaninoff
- Department of Cardiology, Rouen University Hospital, CHU de Rouen, 1 rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen, France
| | - Frédéric Anselme
- Department of Cardiology, Rouen University Hospital, CHU de Rouen, 1 rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen, France
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14
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Isbister JC, Sy RW, Semsarian C. Cardiac arrhythmias in epilepsy: Troublemaker, accomplice, or innocent bystander? Heart Rhythm 2020; 18:229-230. [PMID: 32950721 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia C Isbister
- Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology at Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sidney, Australia; Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Raymond W Sy
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sidney, Australia; Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Christopher Semsarian
- Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology at Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sidney, Australia; Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
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15
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Serdyuk S, Davtyan K, Burd S, Drapkina O, Boytsov S, Gusev E, Topchyan A. Cardiac arrhythmias and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: Results of long-term monitoring. Heart Rhythm 2020; 18:221-228. [PMID: 32911052 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2020.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiac rhythm and conduction disorders are common in patients with epilepsy and are presumably one of the leading causes of sudden unexpected death. There are only a few published reports on ictal cardiac arrhythmias detected by continuous monitoring, and the majority had a small sample size. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and type of cardiac arrhythmias recorded by an implantable loop recorder in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. METHODS We implanted a subcutaneous loop recorder to 193 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Automatic triggers to initiate cardiac rhythm recording were cardiac pauses of >3 seconds and any episodes of bradycardia (≤45 beats/min) or tachycardia (≥150 beats/min). Patients/relatives were instructed to begin peri-ictal rhythm recording by using an external activator device. The follow-up duration was 36 months, with scheduled follow-up visits every 3 months. RESULTS A total of 6494 electrocardiogram traces were recorded during the median follow-up of 36 months (interquartile range 3-36 months). Ictal heart rhythm and rate changes were detected in 143 patients (74%). The most common finding was ictal sinus tachycardia (66.8%). Sinus bradycardia was observed in 13 patients (6.7%). Three patients had clinically relevant cardiac pauses of >6 seconds, requiring permanent pacemaker implantation. Five patients (2.6%) died suddenly. CONCLUSION Ictal heart rhythm and rate changes occur in most of the patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Clinically relevant cardiac events, related to ictal and postictal periods, are rare. No potentially malignant arrhythmias were detected in patients who died suddenly during the preceding follow-up period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Serdyuk
- Department of Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Disturbances, National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Karapet Davtyan
- Department of Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Disturbances, National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Burd
- Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Medical Genetics at Pirogov Russian Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Oksana Drapkina
- Department of Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Disturbances, National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Boytsov
- National Medical Research Center of Cardiology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Evgeniy Gusev
- Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Medical Genetics at Pirogov Russian Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Arpi Topchyan
- Department of Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Disturbances, National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Moscow, Russia
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16
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Pensel MC, Nass RD, Taubøll E, Aurlien D, Surges R. Prevention of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: current status and future perspectives. Expert Rev Neurother 2020; 20:497-508. [PMID: 32270723 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2020.1754195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) affects about 1 in 1000 people with epilepsy, and even more in medically refractory epilepsy. As most people are between 20 and 40 years when dying suddenly, SUDEP leads to a considerable loss of potential life years. The most important risk factors are nocturnal and tonic-clonic seizures, underscoring that supervision and effective seizure control are key elements for SUDEP prevention. The question of whether specific antiepileptic drugs are linked to SUDEP is still controversially discussed. Knowledge and education about SUDEP among health-care professionals, patients, and relatives are of outstanding importance for preventive measures to be taken, but still poor and widely neglected.Areas covered: This article reviews epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, assessment of individual SUDEP risk and available measures for SUDEP prevention. Literature search was done using Medline and Pubmed in October 2019.Expert opinion: Significant advances in the understanding of SUDEP were made in the last decade which allow testing of novel strategies to prevent SUDEP. Promising current strategies target neuronal mechanisms of brain stem dysfunction, cardiac susceptibility for fatal arrhythmias, and reliable detection of tonic-clonic seizures using mobile health technologies.Abbreviations: AED, antiepileptic drug; CBZ, carbamazepine; cLQTS, congenital long QT syndrome; EMU, epilepsy monitoring unit; FBTCS, focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures; GTCS, generalized tonic-clonic seizures; ICA, ictal central apnea; LTG, lamotrigine; PCCA, postconvulsive central apnea; PGES, postictal generalized EEG suppression; SRI, serotonin reuptake inhibitor; SUDEP, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; TCS, tonic-clonic seizures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Erik Taubøll
- Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Nydalen, Norway.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dag Aurlien
- Neuroscience Research Group and Department of Neurology, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Rainer Surges
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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17
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Verrier RL, Pang TD, Nearing BD, Schachter SC. The Epileptic Heart: Concept and clinical evidence. Epilepsy Behav 2020; 105:106946. [PMID: 32109857 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.106946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is generally considered to result from a seizure, typically convulsive and usually but not always occurring during sleep, followed by a sequence of events in the postictal period starting with respiratory distress and progressing to eventual cardiac asystole and death. Yet, recent community-based studies indicate a 3-fold greater incidence of sudden cardiac death in patients with chronic epilepsy than in the general population, and that in 66% of cases, the cardiac arrest occurred during routine daily activity and without a temporal relationship with a typical seizure. To distinguish a primarily cardiac cause of death in patients with epilepsy from the above description of SUDEP, we propose the concept of the "Epileptic Heart" as "a heart and coronary vasculature damaged by chronic epilepsy as a result of repeated surges in catecholamines and hypoxemia leading to electrical and mechanical dysfunction." This review starts with an overview of the pathophysiological and other lines of evidence supporting the biological plausibility of the Epileptic Heart, followed by a description of tools that have been used to generate new electrocardiogram (EKG)-derived data in patients with epilepsy that strongly support the Epileptic Heart concept and its propensity to cause sudden cardiac death in patients with epilepsy independent of an immediately preceding seizure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L Verrier
- Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Department of Neurology, Boston, MA United States of America.
| | - Trudy D Pang
- Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Department of Neurology, Boston, MA United States of America
| | - Bruce D Nearing
- Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Department of Neurology, Boston, MA United States of America
| | - Steven C Schachter
- Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Department of Neurology, Boston, MA United States of America
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18
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Shmuely S, Surges R, Helling RM, Gunning WB, Brilstra EH, Verhoeven JS, Cross JH, Sisodiya SM, Tan HL, Sander JW, Thijs RD. Cardiac arrhythmias in Dravet syndrome: an observational multicenter study. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2020; 7:462-473. [PMID: 32207228 PMCID: PMC7187713 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives We ascertained the prevalence of ictal arrhythmias to explain the high rate of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in Dravet syndrome (DS). Methods We selected cases with clinical DS, ≥6 years, SCN1A mutation, and ≥1 seizure/week. Home‐based ECG recordings were performed for 20 days continuously. Cases were matched for age and sex to two epilepsy controls with no DS and ≥1 major motor seizure during video‐EEG. We determined the prevalence of peri‐ictal asystole, bradycardia, QTc changes, and effects of convulsive seizures (CS) on heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and PR/QRS. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for multiple seizures within subjects, seizure type, and sleep/wakefulness. Results We included 59 cases. Ictal recordings were obtained in 45 cases and compared to 90 controls. We analyzed 547 seizures in DS (300 CS) and 169 in controls (120 CS). No asystole occurred. Postictal bradycardia was more common in controls (n = 11, 6.5%) than cases (n = 4, 0.7%; P = 0.002). Peri‐ictal QTc‐lengthening (≥60ms) occurred more frequently in DS (n = 64, 12%) than controls (n = 8, 4.7%, P = 0.048); pathologically prolonged QTc was rare (once in each group). In DS, interictal HRV was lower compared to controls (RMSSD P = 0.029); peri‐ictal values did not differ between the groups. Prolonged QRS/PR was rare and more common in controls (QRS: one vs. none; PR: three vs. one). Interpretation We did not identify major arrhythmias in DS which can directly explain high SUDEP rates. Peri‐ictal QTc‐lengthening was, however, more common in DS. This may reflect unstable repolarization and an increased propensity for arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Shmuely
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland - SEIN, Achterweg 5, 2103 SW Heemstede, Dokter Denekampweg 20, 8025 BV, Zwolle, The Netherlands.,NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Rainer Surges
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Centre for Rare Diseases Bonn (ZSEB), University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Robert M Helling
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland - SEIN, Achterweg 5, 2103 SW Heemstede, Dokter Denekampweg 20, 8025 BV, Zwolle, The Netherlands
| | - W Boudewijn Gunning
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland - SEIN, Achterweg 5, 2103 SW Heemstede, Dokter Denekampweg 20, 8025 BV, Zwolle, The Netherlands
| | - Eva H Brilstra
- Department of Medical Genetics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Judith S Verhoeven
- Academic Centre for Epileptology Kempenhaeghe, 5590AB Heeze, Heeze, The Netherlands
| | - J Helen Cross
- UCL NIHR BRC Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH), 30 Guilford St, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Sanjay M Sisodiya
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, Bucks, SL9 0RJ, UK
| | - Hanno L Tan
- Heart Centre, Department of Experimental and Clinical Cardiology, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Netherlands Heart Institute, Moreelsepark 1, 3511 EP, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Josemir W Sander
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland - SEIN, Achterweg 5, 2103 SW Heemstede, Dokter Denekampweg 20, 8025 BV, Zwolle, The Netherlands.,NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, Bucks, SL9 0RJ, UK
| | - Roland D Thijs
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland - SEIN, Achterweg 5, 2103 SW Heemstede, Dokter Denekampweg 20, 8025 BV, Zwolle, The Netherlands.,NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
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19
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Ufongene C, El Atrache R, Loddenkemper T, Meisel C. Electrocardiographic changes associated with epilepsy beyond heart rate and their utilization in future seizure detection and forecasting methods. Clin Neurophysiol 2020; 131:866-879. [PMID: 32066106 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2020.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The ability to assess seizure risk may help provide timely warnings and more personalized treatment plans for people with epilepsy (PWE). ECG changes are commonly observed in epilepsy which make ECG a promising candidate to monitor seizure risk. Most ECG research in this domain has focused on heart rate-related changes. However, several studies have identified a range of other peri-ictal ECG parameter changes that may potentially prove useful for seizure detection and forecasting. Here, we offer a systematic review of ECG changes in epilepsy outside of heart rate. We performed the systematic literature review according to PRISMA guidelines using key words related to ECG, SUDEP and epilepsy. We identified and screened 502 abstracts, read 110 full papers, and included 24 papers in the final review. Our results suggest that PWE may be more prone to cardiac conduction abnormalities than healthy controls. During interictal periods, PWE were more likely to have abnormal QTc intervals, ST segment abnormalities, elevated T Waves, early repolarization (ER), increased P Wave dispersion and PR intervals when compared to controls. Apart from these baseline abnormalities, changes during the pre-ictal and ictal states have been reported, with arrhythmias, QTc prolongation and ST segment changes being the most common. A better understanding of these state-dependent changes may afford less-cumbersome and less-stigmatizing epilepsy monitoring tools in the future.
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20
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Pang TD, Nearing BD, Krishnamurthy KB, Olin B, Schachter SC, Verrier RL. Cardiac electrical instability in newly diagnosed/chronic epilepsy tracked by Holter and ECG patch. Neurology 2020; 93:450-458. [PMID: 31477610 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000008077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that cardiac electrical instability and abnormal autonomic tone result from cumulative cardiac injury sustained in recurrent seizures. We tested this hypothesis by comparing T-wave alternans (TWA) and heart rate variability (HRV), both established markers of sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk, in patients with chronic as compared to newly diagnosed epilepsy. METHODS In this prospective, observational cohort study, patients (newly diagnosed epilepsy, n = 6, age 41.8 ± 6.8 years; chronic epilepsy, n = 6, age 40.2 ± 5.6 years [p = 0.85]) were monitored either with Holter recorder alone or simultaneously with 14-day Zio XT extended continuous ECG patch monitor. TWA was assessed by Food and Drug Administration-cleared Modified Moving Average analysis; HRV was calculated by rMSSD. RESULTS TWA levels in chronic epilepsy were significantly higher than in newly diagnosed epilepsy (62 ± 5.4 vs 35 ± 1.3 μV, p < 0.002); the latter did not differ from healthy control adults. In all patients with chronic epilepsy, TWA exceeded the established ≥47-μV TWA cutpoint and rMSSD HRV was inversely related to TWA levels. Patients with chronic epilepsy exhibited elevated TWA levels equivalently on Holter and ECG patch recordings (p = 0.38) with a high correlation (r 2 = 0.99, p < 0.01) across 24 hours. CONCLUSION Based on the limited number of patients studied, it appears that chronic epilepsy, the common use of sodium channel antagonists, or other factors are associated with higher TWA levels and simultaneously with lower rMSSD HRV, which is suggestive of autonomic dysfunction or higher sympathetic tone. The ECG patch monitor used has equivalent accuracy to Holter monitoring for TWA and HRV and permits longer-term ECG sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trudy D Pang
- From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (T.D.P., B.D.N., K.B.K., S.C.S., R.L.V.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and LivaNova PLC (B.O.), London, UK
| | - Bruce D Nearing
- From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (T.D.P., B.D.N., K.B.K., S.C.S., R.L.V.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and LivaNova PLC (B.O.), London, UK
| | - Kaarkuzhali Babu Krishnamurthy
- From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (T.D.P., B.D.N., K.B.K., S.C.S., R.L.V.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and LivaNova PLC (B.O.), London, UK
| | - Bryan Olin
- From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (T.D.P., B.D.N., K.B.K., S.C.S., R.L.V.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and LivaNova PLC (B.O.), London, UK
| | - Steven C Schachter
- From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (T.D.P., B.D.N., K.B.K., S.C.S., R.L.V.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and LivaNova PLC (B.O.), London, UK
| | - Richard L Verrier
- From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (T.D.P., B.D.N., K.B.K., S.C.S., R.L.V.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and LivaNova PLC (B.O.), London, UK.
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21
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Epilepsy in the elderly: Unique challenges in an increasingly prevalent population. Epilepsy Behav 2020; 102:106724. [PMID: 31816480 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Elderly individuals (aged at least 60 or 65 years) represent a rapidly growing segment of the population. The incidence and prevalence of epilepsy is higher in this age group than in any other. Diagnosing epilepsy in the elderly can be challenging because the causes and clinical manifestations of seizures often differ as compared with younger individuals. Particular differential diagnoses, such as syncope and amyloid spells, are commonly encountered in the elderly population. A diagnosis of epilepsy has important implications in the older adult, many of which already present a variety of concomitant complex medical problems, such as cognitive impairment, comorbid cerebrovascular disease, and frailty. The treatment of epilepsy in the elderly is complicated by a variety of factors related to aging, including physiological changes, medical comorbidities, and polypharmacy. In this narrative review, we will address the descriptive epidemiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and prognosis of epilepsy in the elderly individual.
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22
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van der Lende M, Arends JB, Lamberts RJ, Tan HL, de Lange FJ, Sander JW, Aerts AJ, Swart HP, Thijs RD. The yield of long-term electrocardiographic recordings in refractory focal epilepsy. Epilepsia 2019; 60:2215-2223. [PMID: 31637707 PMCID: PMC6899995 DOI: 10.1111/epi.16373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2019] [Revised: 09/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Objective To determine the incidence of clinically relevant arrhythmias in refractory focal epilepsy and to assess the potential of postictal arrhythmias as risk markers for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Methods We recruited people with refractory focal epilepsy without signs of ictal asystole and who had at least one focal seizure per month and implanted a loop recorder with 2‐year follow‐up. The devices automatically record arrhythmias. Subjects and caregivers were instructed to make additional peri‐ictal recordings. Clinically relevant arrhythmias were defined as asystole ≥ 6 seconds; atrial fibrillation < 55 beats per minute (bpm), or > 200 bpm and duration > 30 seconds; persistent sinus bradycardia < 40 bpm while awake; and second‐ or third‐degree atrioventricular block and ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation. We performed 12‐lead electrocardiography (ECG) and tilt table testing to identify non–seizure‐related causes of asystole. Results We included 49 people and accumulated 1060 months of monitoring. A total of 16 474 seizures were reported, of which 4679 were captured on ECG. No clinically relevant arrhythmias were identified. Three people had a total of 18 short‐lasting (<6 seconds) periods of asystole, resulting in an incidence of 2.91 events per 1000 patient‐months. None of these coincided with a reported seizure; one was explained by micturition syncope. Other non–clinically relevant arrhythmias included paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (n = 2), supraventricular tachycardia (n = 1), and sinus tachycardia with a right bundle branch block configuration (n = 1). Significance We found no clinically relevant arrhythmias in people with refractory focal epilepsy during long‐term follow‐up. The absence of postictal arrhythmias does not support the use of loop recorders in people at high SUDEP risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marije van der Lende
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, the Netherlands.,Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Johan B Arends
- Academic Center for Epileptology Kempenhaeghe, Heeze, the Netherlands.,Signal Processing Group, Electronic Engineering Faculty, Technological University Eindhoven, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Robert J Lamberts
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, the Netherlands
| | - Hanno L Tan
- Heart Center, Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Frederik J de Lange
- Heart Center, Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Josemir W Sander
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, the Netherlands.,National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, Chalfont St Peter, UK
| | - Arnaud J Aerts
- Department of Cardiology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen, the Netherlands
| | - Henk P Swart
- Department of Cardiology, Antonius Hospital Sneek, Sneek, the Netherlands
| | - Roland D Thijs
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, the Netherlands.,Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, Chalfont St Peter, UK
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23
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Zaccara G, Lattanzi S. Comorbidity between epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmias: Implication for treatment. Epilepsy Behav 2019; 97:304-312. [PMID: 31279643 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epilepsy is often comorbid with either neurological or nonneurological diseases. The association between epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmias is not infrequent, mostly in patients with severe forms of epilepsy or critically ill. Remarkably, these medical conditions share many similarities. Vascular and genetic disorders may predispose to both seizures and abnormalities of cardiac electrophysiology. Repeated and uncontrolled seizures may favor potentially life-threatening arrhythmias. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may facilitate the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias by acting on ionic channels at heart level. Antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) can have effects on ionic channels expressed in the brain, as suggested by their efficacy in treating patients with rare forms of epilepsy; AADs may also be proconvulsant, mainly during their overdosage. In clinical practice, the AEDs with the lowest risk to influence cardiac electrophysiology are to be preferred in patients presenting with either seizures or arrhythmias. Traditional AEDs should be avoided because of their arrhythmogenic properties and enzyme-inducing effects, which may make ineffective the concomitant treatment with AADs. Some of the newer AEDs can rarely affect cardiac rhythm, and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring should be warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetano Zaccara
- Agenzia Regionale di Sanità, Regione Toscana, Firenze, Italy.
| | - Simona Lattanzi
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
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24
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Nass RD, Hampel KG, Elger CE, Surges R. Blood Pressure in Seizures and Epilepsy. Front Neurol 2019; 10:501. [PMID: 31139142 PMCID: PMC6527757 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In this narrative review, we summarize the current knowledge of neurally mediated blood pressure (BP) control and discuss how recently described epilepsy- and seizure-related BP alterations may contribute to premature mortality and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Although people with epilepsy display disturbed interictal autonomic function with a shift toward predominant sympathetic activity, prevalence of arterial hypertension is similar in people with and without epilepsy. BP is transiently increased in association with most types of epileptic seizures but may also decrease in some, illustrating that seizure activity can cause both a decrease and increase of BP, probably because of stimulation or inhibition of distinct central autonomic function by epileptic activity that propagates into different neuronal networks of the central autonomic nervous system. The principal regulatory neural loop for short-term BP control is termed baroreflex, mainly involving peripheral sensors and brain stem nuclei. The baroreflex sensitivity (BRS, expressed as change of interbeat interval per change in BP) is intact after focal seizures, whereas BRS is markedly impaired in the early postictal period following generalized convulsive seizures (GCS), possibly due to metabolically mediated muscular hyperemia in skeletal muscles, a massive release of catecholamines and compromised brain stem function. Whilst most SUDEP cases are probably caused by a cardiorespiratory failure during the early postictal period following GCS, a profoundly disturbed BRS may allow a life-threatening drop of systemic BP in the aftermath of GCS, as recently reported in a patient as a plausible cause of SUDEP in a few patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Nass
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kevin G Hampel
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Rainer Surges
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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25
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Diving responses elicited by nasopharyngeal irrigation mimic seizure-associated central apneic episodes in a rat model. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 124:408-415. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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26
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Baumgartner C, Koren J, Britto-Arias M, Schmidt S, Pirker S. Epidemiology and pathophysiology of autonomic seizures: a systematic review. Clin Auton Res 2019; 29:137-150. [DOI: 10.1007/s10286-019-00596-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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27
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Nass RD, Motloch LJ, Paar V, Lichtenauer M, Baumann J, Zur B, Hoppe UC, Holdenrieder S, Elger CE, Surges R. Blood markers of cardiac stress after generalized convulsive seizures. Epilepsia 2019; 60:201-210. [PMID: 30645779 DOI: 10.1111/epi.14637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Generalized convulsive seizures (GCS) are associated with high demands on the cardiovascular system, thereby facilitating cardiac complications. To investigate occurrence, influencing factors, and extent of cardiac stress or injury, the alterations and time course of the latest generation of cardiac blood markers were investigated after documented GCS. METHODS Adult patients with refractory epilepsy who underwent video-electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring along with simultaneous one-lead electrocardiography (ECG) recordings were included. Cardiac biomarkers (cardiac troponin I [cTNI]; high-sensitive troponin T [hsTNT]; N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP]; copeptin; suppression of tumorigenicity-2 [SST-2]; growth differentiation factor 15, [GDF-15]; soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor [suPAR]; and heart-type fatty acid binding protein [HFABP]) and catecholamines were measured at inclusion and at different time points after GCS. Periictal cardiac properties were assessed by analyzing heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV), and corrected QT intervals(QTc). RESULTS Thirty-six GCS (6 generalized-onset tonic-clonic seizures and 30 focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures) were recorded in 30 patients without a history of cardiac or renal disease. Postictal catecholamine levels were elevated more than twofold. A concomitant increase in HR and QTc, as well as a decrease in HRV, was observed. Elevations of cTNI and hsTNT were found in 3 of 30 patients (10%) and 6 of 23 patients (26%), respectively, which were associated with higher dopamine levels. Copeptin was increased considerably after most GCS, whereas SST-2, HFABP, and GDF-15 displayed only subtle variations, and suPAR was unaltered in the postictal period. Cardiac symptoms did not occur in any patient. SIGNIFICANCE The use of more sensitive biomarkers such as hsTNT suggests that signs of cardiac stress occur in about 25% of the patients with GCS without apparent clinical symptoms. SuPAR may indicate clinically relevant troponin elevations. Copeptin could help to diagnose GCS, but specificity needs to be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Nass
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Lukas J Motloch
- Clinic of Internal Medicine II, Department of Cardiology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Vera Paar
- Clinic of Internal Medicine II, Department of Cardiology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Michael Lichtenauer
- Clinic of Internal Medicine II, Department of Cardiology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jan Baumann
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Berndt Zur
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Uta C Hoppe
- Clinic of Internal Medicine II, Department of Cardiology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Holdenrieder
- Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany.,Institute for Laboratory Medicine, German Heart Center Munich, Technical University, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Rainer Surges
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Section of Epileptology, Department of Neurology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
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28
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Purnell BS, Thijs RD, Buchanan GF. Dead in the Night: Sleep-Wake and Time-Of-Day Influences on Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. Front Neurol 2018; 9:1079. [PMID: 30619039 PMCID: PMC6297781 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the leading cause of epilepsy-related death in patients with refractory epilepsy. Convergent lines of evidence suggest that SUDEP occurs due to seizure induced perturbation of respiratory, cardiac, and electrocerebral function as well as potential predisposing factors. It is consistently observed that SUDEP happens more during the night and the early hours of the morning. The aim of this review is to discuss evidence from patient cases, clinical studies, and animal research which is pertinent to the nocturnality of SUDEP. There are a number of factors which might contribute to the nighttime predilection of SUDEP. These factors fall into four categories: influences of (1) being unwitnessed, (2) lying prone in bed, (3) sleep-wake state, and (4) circadian rhythms. During the night, seizures are more likely to be unwitnessed; therefore, it is less likely that another person would be able to administer a lifesaving intervention. Patients are more likely to be prone on a bed following a nocturnal seizure. Being prone in the accouterments of a bed during the postictal period might impair breathing and increase SUDEP risk. Sleep typically happens at night and seizures which emerge from sleep might be more dangerous. Lastly, there are circadian changes to physiology during the night which might facilitate SUDEP. These possible explanations for the nocturnality of SUDEP are not mutually exclusive. The increased rate of SUDEP during the night is likely multifactorial involving both situational factors, such as being without a witness and prone, and physiological changes due to the influence of sleep and circadian rhythms. Understanding the causal elements in the nocturnality of SUDEP may be critical to the development of effective preventive countermeasures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benton S Purnell
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Roland D Thijs
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, Netherlands.,NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Neurology, LUMC Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Gordon F Buchanan
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
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29
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Autonomic aspects of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Clin Auton Res 2018; 29:151-160. [DOI: 10.1007/s10286-018-0576-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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30
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Verrier RL, Schachter SC. Is heart disease in chronic epilepsy a consequence of seizures or a fellow traveler? Epilepsy Behav 2018; 86:211-213. [PMID: 30153935 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2018.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard L Verrier
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.
| | - Steven C Schachter
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States of America; Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America; Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation and Technology, Boston, MA, United States of America
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31
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Brignole M, Moya A, de Lange FJ, Deharo JC, Elliott PM, Fanciulli A, Fedorowski A, Furlan R, Kenny RA, Martín A, Probst V, Reed MJ, Rice CP, Sutton R, Ungar A, van Dijk JG. 2018 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of syncope. Eur Heart J 2018; 39:1883-1948. [PMID: 29562304 DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 949] [Impact Index Per Article: 158.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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32
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Sivathamboo S, Perucca P, Velakoulis D, Jones NC, Goldin J, Kwan P, O’Brien TJ. Sleep-disordered breathing in epilepsy: epidemiology, mechanisms, and treatment. Sleep 2018; 41:4830560. [DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsy015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shobi Sivathamboo
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
| | - Piero Perucca
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dennis Velakoulis
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry Unit, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nigel C Jones
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jeremy Goldin
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Disorders Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
| | - Patrick Kwan
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Terence J O’Brien
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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33
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34
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Wu X, Su Y, Liu W, Jia X, Zhang Y, Zhang X, Wang G. Diagnostic value and prognostic evaluation of dynamic video-electroencephalogram monitoring in children with epilepsy. Exp Ther Med 2017; 14:2527-2530. [PMID: 28962191 PMCID: PMC5609305 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2017.4822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The diagnostic and prognostic value of dynamic video-electroencephalogram (V-EEG) monitoring in children with epilepsy were investigated. From February 2014 to February 2016, in total 200 children with epilepsy were selected during their stay in the First Hospital of Qinghuangdao and were randomly allocated to a dynamic and a conventional V-EEG monitoring group (n=100). The detection rate of epileptiform discharges in the two groups was evaluated. The V-EEG monitoring index was used to select treatment methods for patients with epilepsy. After 3 months, the patients were rechecked. Disease features and incidence of epilepsy were recorded. There were no significant differences in the course of disease, seizure frequency and age between the two groups (P>0.05). The detection rate of epileptiform discharges in the dynamic V-EEG was significantly higher than in the routine monitoring group (P<0.01). The accuracy and specificity of monitoring in the V-EEG were significantly higher than in the routine monitoring group (P<0.01). Seizure frequency and number of epilepsy attacks in patients in the V-EEG group were significantly lower than in the routine monitoring group (P<0.01). Dynamic V-EEG can improve epilepsy detection rate. The high accuracy and specificity of dynamic V-EEG suggest that it may be of great clinical value in the diagnosis and prognosis of epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000, P.R. China
| | - Ying Su
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000, P.R. China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoyu Jia
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000, P.R. China
| | - Yanling Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000, P.R. China
| | - Xinyang Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000, P.R. China
| | - Guilan Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066000, P.R. China
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35
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Abstract
Neurocardiology refers to the interplay between the nervous system and the cardiovascular system. Stress-related cardiomyopathy exemplifies the brain-heart connection and occurs in several conditions with acute brain injury that share oversympathetic activation. The brain's influences on the heart can include elevated cardiac markers, arrhythmias, repolarization abnormalities on electrocardiogram, myocardial necrosis, and autonomic dysfunction. The neurogenic stunned myocardium in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage represents one end of the spectrum, and is associated with an explosive rise in intracranial pressure that results in excess catecholamine state and possibly CBN. A brain-heart link is more known to cardiologists than neurologists. This chapter provides some insight into the pathophysiology of these pathologic neurocardiac states and their most appropriate management relevant to neurologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- N D Osteraas
- Section of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - V H Lee
- Section of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
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36
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Matsui M, Inoue K, Fujimura H, Sakoda S. [A case of Brugada syndrome which developed status epilepticus]. Rinsho Shinkeigaku 2016; 56:857-861. [PMID: 27890882 DOI: 10.5692/clinicalneurol.cn-000945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A 35-year-old man showed a convulsive attack with consciousness loss and was suspected of having Brugada syndrome 6 months prior to admission to our hospital. At the initial examination, the patient showed conjugate deviation, followed by left limb convulsions and consciousness loss. He regained consciousness after 1 minute, though cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation was noted during an electroencephalography (EEG) examination. Sinus rhythm recovered with defibrillation, though the convulsions persisted and a Status Epilepticus developed. The patient was diagnosed with Brugada syndrome and received implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). After ICD, he has suffered no further convulsive attacks. Brugada syndrome is an inheritable cardiac disease causing sudden death by ventricular fibrillation. It is important to consider both epilepsy and arrhythmia in diagnosis of the seizures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misa Matsui
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Toneyama National Hospital
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37
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Abstract
Authors: Kevin D Graber, MD, Jeffrey Buchhalter, MD, PhD, Elson So, MD, Rainer Surges, MD, Detlev Boison, PhD, Franck Kalume, PhD, Cyndi Wright, Brian Gehlbach, MD, Jeff Noebels, MD, PhD, Vicky Whittemore, PhD, Elizabeth J. Donner, MD, MSc, Tom Stanton, MPP, Henry Smithson, MD, Jane Hanna, Masud Seyal, MD, PhD, Philippe Ryvlin, MD, PhD The third biannual Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy (PAME) conference was held in Alexandria, VA from June 23-26, 2016. This was an intimate meeting of clinical and basic scientists, clinicians, people affected by Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Patients (SUDEP) in a loved one, people living with epilepsy and patient advocate organizations. Plenary sessions have been summarized by moderators, including: 1) Mortality in people with epilepsy: epidemiology and surveillance. 2) Mortality in children. 3) What do we know about the factors that predispose certain people to die from a seizure? 4) What are the events that occur during and after a seizure that cause a death in SUDEP? 5) What are the options for prevention now and in the future? 6) Advocacy perspectives: how can we speed up awareness and prevention? 7) Updates and discussion on select programs in mortality research. Breakout sessions allowed for a more focused audience. Those summarized here are: Frequent non-SUDEP causes of mortality in people with epilepsy; Mechanisms of SUDEP; Lessons learned in grief and how to better support families; Future directions for research to impact prevention; and How do we improve SUDEP risk disclosure? While significant progress has been made with review of human mortality in epilepsy and study of animal models, this meeting emphasized the need for: better understandings of the epidemiology of SUDEP, advances in the understandings of mechanisms, continued search for biomarkers and preventative measures, patient education, increased awareness, continued advocacy for patient and family support and research funding.
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38
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The heart of epilepsy: Current views and future concepts. Seizure 2016; 44:176-183. [PMID: 27843098 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular (CV) comorbidities are common in people with epilepsy. Several mechanisms explain why these conditions tend to co-exist including causal associations, shared risk factors and those resulting from epilepsy or its treatment. Various arrhythmias occurring during and after seizures have been described. Ictal asystole is the most common cause. The converse phenomenon, arrhythmias causing seizures, appears extremely rare and has only been reported in children following cardioinihibitory syncope. Arrhythmias in epilepsy may not only result from seizure activity but also from a shared genetic susceptibility. Various cardiac and epilepsy genes could be implicated but firm evidence is still lacking. Several antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) triggering conduction abnormalities can also explain the co-existence of arrhythmias in epilepsy. Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that people with epilepsy have a higher prevalence of structural cardiac disease and a poorer CV risk profile than those without epilepsy. Shared CV risk factors, genetics and etiological factors can account for a significant part of the relationship between epilepsy and structural cardiac disease. Seizure activity may cause transient myocardial ischaemia and the Takotsubo syndrome. Additionally, certain AEDs may themselves negatively affect CV risk profile in epilepsy. Here we discuss the fascinating borderland of epilepsy and cardiovascular conditions. The review focuses on epidemiology, clinical presentations and possible mechanisms for shared pathophysiology. It concludes with a discussion of future developments and a call for validated screening instruments and guidelines aiding the early identification and treatment of CV comorbidity in epilepsy.
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39
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Devinsky O, Hesdorffer DC, Thurman DJ, Lhatoo S, Richerson G. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: epidemiology, mechanisms, and prevention. Lancet Neurol 2016; 15:1075-88. [DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(16)30158-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 369] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Revised: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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40
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Verrier RL, Nearing BD, Olin B, Boon P, Schachter SC. Baseline elevation and reduction in cardiac electrical instability assessed by quantitative T-wave alternans in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy treated with vagus nerve stimulation in the AspireSR E-36 trial. Epilepsy Behav 2016; 62:85-9. [PMID: 27450311 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2016.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Reports of cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac pathology at postmortem examination of patients with epilepsy suggest a possible cardiac component of risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). T-wave alternans (TWA) is an established marker of cardiac electrical instability and risk for sudden death in patients with cardiovascular disease. We determined the TWA level before vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) system implantation and subsequently the effect of VNS on TWA in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. METHODS Patients (n=28) from the Seizure Detection and Automatic Magnet Mode Performance Study (E-36), a clinical trial of the AspireSR® VNS Therapy System® (NCT01325623), were monitored with ambulatory electrocardiograms (ECGs) ~2weeks before de novo VNS system implantation and following 2- to 4-week VNS titration during a protocol-specified 3- to 5-day epilepsy monitoring unit stay with concurrent EEG/ECG recordings. The TWA level was assessed interictally by the Modified Moving Average (MMA) method. RESULTS At preimplantation baseline, TWA was elevated above the 47-μV abnormality cutpoint in 23 (82%) patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. In 16 (70%) patients, TWA level was reduced during VNS treatment to <47μV, thereby converting positive TWA test results to negative. Peak TWA level in all 28 patients improved (group mean, 43%, from 72±4.3 to 41±2.3μV; p<0.0001). Vagus nerve stimulation was not associated with reduced heart rate (77±1.4 to 75±1.4beats/min; p=0.18). Heart rate variability was unchanged. SIGNIFICANCE These findings suggest significant interictal cardiac electrical instability in this population of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and suggest that VNS may be a novel approach to reducing risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L Verrier
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Bruce D Nearing
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Bryan Olin
- LivaNova PLC, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Paul Boon
- On Behalf of the E-36 Study Group, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Steven C Schachter
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Massachusetts General Hospital and Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology, Boston, MA, United States
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Leaky RyR2 channels unleash a brainstem spreading depolarization mechanism of sudden cardiac death. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E4895-903. [PMID: 27482086 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1605216113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiorespiratory failure is the most common cause of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Genetic autopsies have detected "leaky" gain-of-function mutations in the ryanodine receptor-2 (RyR2) gene in both SUDEP and sudden cardiac death cases linked to catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia that feature lethal cardiac arrhythmias without structural abnormality. Here we find that a human leaky RyR2 mutation, R176Q (RQ), alters neurotransmitter release probability in mice and significantly lowers the threshold for spreading depolarization (SD) in dorsal medulla, leading to cardiorespiratory collapse. Rare episodes of sinus bradycardia, spontaneous seizure, and sudden death were detected in RQ/+ mutant mice in vivo; however, when provoked, cortical seizures frequently led to apneas, brainstem SD, cardiorespiratory failure, and death. In vitro studies revealed that the RQ mutation selectively strengthened excitatory, but not inhibitory, synapses and facilitated SD in both the neocortex as well as brainstem dorsal medulla autonomic microcircuits. These data link defects in neuronal intracellular calcium homeostasis to the vulnerability of central autonomic brainstem pathways to hypoxic stress and implicate brainstem SD as a previously unrecognized site and mechanism contributing to premature death in individuals with leaky RYR2 mutations.
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Lhatoo SD, Nei M, Raghavan M, Sperling M, Zonjy B, Lacuey N, Devinsky O. Nonseizure SUDEP: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy without preceding epileptic seizures. Epilepsia 2016; 57:1161-8. [PMID: 27221596 PMCID: PMC5541994 DOI: 10.1111/epi.13419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the phenomenology of monitored sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) occurring in the interictal period where death occurs without a seizure preceding it. METHODS We report a case series of monitored definite and probable SUDEP where no electroclinical evidence of underlying seizures was found preceding death. RESULTS Three patients (two definite and one probable) had SUDEP. They had a typical high SUDEP risk profile with longstanding intractable epilepsy and frequent generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS). All patients had varying patterns of respiratory and bradyarrhythmic cardiac dysfunction with profound electroencephalography (EEG) suppression. In two patients, patterns of cardiorespiratory failure were similar to those seen in some patients in the Mortality in Epilepsy Monitoring Units Study (MORTEMUS). SIGNIFICANCE SUDEP almost always occur postictally, after GTCS and less commonly after a partial seizure. Monitored SUDEP or near-SUDEP cases without a seizure have not yet been reported in literature. When nonmonitored SUDEP occurs in an ambulatory setting without an overt seizure, the absence of EEG information prevents the exclusion of a subtle seizure. These cases confirm the existence of nonseizure SUDEP; such deaths may not be prevented by seizure detection-based devices. SUDEP risk in patients with epilepsy may constitute a spectrum of susceptibility wherein some are relatively immune, death occurs in others with frequent GTCS with one episode of seizure ultimately proving fatal, while in others still, death may occur even in the absence of a seizure. We emphasize the heterogeneity of SUDEP phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samden D Lhatoo
- Epilepsy Center, UH Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A
- NINDS Center for SUDEP Research (CSR; Center without Walls)
| | - Maromi Nei
- NINDS Center for SUDEP Research (CSR; Center without Walls)
- Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A
| | - Manoj Raghavan
- Adult Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A
| | - Michael Sperling
- Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A
| | - Bilal Zonjy
- Epilepsy Center, UH Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A
- NINDS Center for SUDEP Research (CSR; Center without Walls)
| | - Nuria Lacuey
- Epilepsy Center, UH Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A
- NINDS Center for SUDEP Research (CSR; Center without Walls)
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- NINDS Center for SUDEP Research (CSR; Center without Walls)
- NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, U.S.A
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Abdelwahab M, Blankenship D, Schiffmann R. Long-term follow-up and sudden unexpected death in Gaucher disease type 3 in Egypt. NEUROLOGY-GENETICS 2016; 2:e55. [PMID: 27123474 PMCID: PMC4830203 DOI: 10.1212/nxg.0000000000000055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objective: To describe the long-term follow-up and distinct phenotype of a large cohort of patients with Gaucher disease type 3 on enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in Egypt. Methods: A prospective cohort study of 78 patients on ERT who were followed for up to 9 years with yearly evaluations that included EEG and cognitive testing. Results: Of the patients, 73% were homozygous for the L444P GBA1 mutation; all but 7 were neurologically symptomatic. Supranuclear gaze palsy with variable but stable cognitive function was present in 91% of patients. Convergent strabismus and bulbar dysfunction were noted in 22% and 37%, respectively. Features of oppositional defiant disorder were present in 54% of patients. Twenty-three patients (30%) developed seizures while on ERT for 1–9 years. Of those, 12 patients (15%) died suddenly and unexpectedly at a mean age of 6.7 ± 5.0 years (range 1.5–18). Sudden death was usually associated with a seizure disorder or a terminal seizure, but 7 of 12 patients had a preceding normal EEG. An additional 11% had background slowing or epileptogenic activity on EEG without clinical seizures. There were 3 familial cases of sudden unexpected death. Conclusions: Despite having the most common GBA1 genotype known to be associated with neuronopathic Gaucher disease, patients with Gaucher disease type 3 in Egypt have a phenotype and a clinical outcome on ERT that are very different from those observed in other populations. Identifying putative modifying genes of this ethnic group is likely to lead to better therapy for neuronopathic Gaucher disease generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magy Abdelwahab
- Department of Pediatric Hematology (M.A.), Cairo University Pediatric Hospital, Egypt; and Department of Biostatistics (D.B.) and Institute of Metabolic Disease (R.S.), Baylor Research Institute, Dallas, TX
| | - Derek Blankenship
- Department of Pediatric Hematology (M.A.), Cairo University Pediatric Hospital, Egypt; and Department of Biostatistics (D.B.) and Institute of Metabolic Disease (R.S.), Baylor Research Institute, Dallas, TX
| | - Raphael Schiffmann
- Department of Pediatric Hematology (M.A.), Cairo University Pediatric Hospital, Egypt; and Department of Biostatistics (D.B.) and Institute of Metabolic Disease (R.S.), Baylor Research Institute, Dallas, TX
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van der Lende M, Surges R, Sander JW, Thijs RD. Cardiac arrhythmias during or after epileptic seizures. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2016; 87:69-74. [PMID: 26038597 PMCID: PMC4717443 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2015-310559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Seizure-related cardiac arrhythmias are frequently reported and have been implicated as potential pathomechanisms of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). We attempted to identify clinical profiles associated with various (post)ictal cardiac arrhythmias. We conducted a systematic search from the first date available to July 2013 on the combination of two terms: 'cardiac arrhythmias' and 'epilepsy'. The databases searched were PubMed, Embase (OVID version), Web of Science and COCHRANE Library. We attempted to identify all case reports and case series. We identified seven distinct patterns of (post)ictal cardiac arrhythmias: ictal asystole (103 cases), postictal asystole (13 cases), ictal bradycardia (25 cases), ictal atrioventricular (AV)-conduction block (11 cases), postictal AV-conduction block (2 cases), (post)ictal atrial flutter/atrial fibrillation (14 cases) and postictal ventricular fibrillation (3 cases). Ictal asystole had a mean prevalence of 0.318% (95% CI 0.316% to 0.320%) in people with refractory epilepsy who underwent video-EEG monitoring. Ictal asystole, bradycardia and AV-conduction block were self-limiting in all but one of the cases and seen during focal dyscognitive seizures. Seizure onset was mostly temporal (91%) without consistent lateralisation. Postictal arrhythmias were mostly found following convulsive seizures and often associated with (near) SUDEP. The contrasting clinical profiles of ictal and postictal arrhythmias suggest different pathomechanisms. Postictal rather than ictal arrhythmias seem of greater importance to the pathophysiology of SUDEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marije van der Lende
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, The Netherlands Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rainer Surges
- Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Josemir W Sander
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, The Netherlands Department of Clinical & Experimental Epilepsy, NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK Epilepsy Society, Chalfont St Peter, UK
| | - Roland D Thijs
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, The Netherlands Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands Department of Clinical & Experimental Epilepsy, NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK Epilepsy Society, Chalfont St Peter, UK
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Devinsky O, Spruill T, Thurman D, Friedman D. Recognizing and preventing epilepsy-related mortality: A call for action. Neurology 2015; 86:779-86. [PMID: 26674330 PMCID: PMC4763802 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000002253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is associated with a high rate of premature mortality from direct and indirect effects of seizures, epilepsy, and antiseizure therapies. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the second leading neurologic cause of total lost potential life-years after stroke, yet SUDEP may account for less than half of all epilepsy-related deaths. Some epilepsy groups are especially vulnerable: individuals from low socioeconomic status groups and those with comorbid psychiatric illness die more often than controls. Despite clear evidence of an important public health problem, efforts to assess and prevent epilepsy-related deaths remain inadequate. We discuss factors contributing to the underestimation of SUDEP and other epilepsy-related causes of death. We suggest the need for a systematic classification of deaths directly due to epilepsy (e.g., SUDEP, drowning), due to acute symptomatic seizures, and indirectly due to epilepsy (e.g., suicide, chronic effects of antiseizure medications). Accurately estimating the frequency of epilepsy-related mortality is essential to support the development and assessment of preventive interventions. We propose that educational interventions and public health campaigns targeting medication adherence, psychiatric comorbidity, and other modifiable risk factors may reduce epilepsy-related mortality. Educational campaigns regarding sudden infant death syndrome and fires, which kill far fewer Americans than epilepsy, have been widely implemented. We have done too little to prevent epilepsy-related deaths. Everyone with epilepsy and everyone who treats people with epilepsy need to know that controlling seizures will save lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orrin Devinsky
- From the Departments of Neurology (O.D., D.F.) and Population Health (T.S.), New York University School of Medicine, New York; and the Department of Neurology (D.T.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
| | - Tanya Spruill
- From the Departments of Neurology (O.D., D.F.) and Population Health (T.S.), New York University School of Medicine, New York; and the Department of Neurology (D.T.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - David Thurman
- From the Departments of Neurology (O.D., D.F.) and Population Health (T.S.), New York University School of Medicine, New York; and the Department of Neurology (D.T.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Daniel Friedman
- From the Departments of Neurology (O.D., D.F.) and Population Health (T.S.), New York University School of Medicine, New York; and the Department of Neurology (D.T.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred L George
- From the Department of Pharmacology and Center for Pharmacogenomics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.
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