Seizure Disorder and Mental Illness Linked to Premature Death

A new study shows that people with epilepsy are 11 times more likely to die prematurely than those in the general population. Findings also suggest that those with a type of seizure disorder may be at a greater risk for early death if they have a mental illness that involves alcohol or drug-use disorders.

"Our results have significant public health implications as around 70 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and emphasize that carefully assessing and treating psychiatric disorders as part as part of standard checks in persons with epilepsy could help reduce the risk of premature death in these patients," said study leader Seena Fazel, from the University of Oxford, in England, via U.S. News and World Report.

The study looked at 70,000 epilepsy patients who were born in Sweden from 1954 and 2009. The patients were followed for up to 41 years and compared to more than 660,000 people in the general population and more than 81,000 siblings without epilepsy.

Approximately 9 percent of the participants with epilepsy died during the trial, compared to 0.7 percent of people in the general population. The study notes that deaths from external causes noted for 16 percent of all deaths among those with epilepsy.

Findings show that 75 percent of the epilepsy patients who died from external causes also had a diagnosed mental disorder that included substance abuse and depression. People with both epilepsy and substance abuse were more than 22 times more likely to die from external causes than other conditions.

Researchers believe this gives interesting insight into the workings of the disorder and its relationship to mental illness. 

More information regarding the study can be found in the journal The Lancet.