Risk of mortality among patients with epilepsy in southern Taiwan

Objective: Previous studies suggested a higher risk of all-cause mortality in patients with epilepsy than in the general population. However, information on the age- and sex-specific risk of mortality, as well as on the cause-specific risk of mortality has been sparse. This study aims to determine sex-, age-, and cause-specific risk of mortality among patients with epilepsy from southern Taiwan. Methods: A total of 2180 patients treated in a tertiary hospital in southern Taiwan between 1989 and 2008 were compared to the general population of Taiwan for age-, sex- and cause-specific mortalities. The age-, sex-, and calendar year-standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated to estimate the relative risks of mortality associated with the epilepsy. Results: There are 266(12.2%) deaths noted in the study period. The patients with epilepsy experienced a significantly increased SMR of all-cause mortality (SMR, 2.5; 95% confidence interval (Cl), 2.2-2.8). The most significantly elevated age-specific SMR was 51.8 (95% Cl, 6.2-187.2) and 8.6 (95% Cl, 4.4-14.9) for male patients aged 0-9 years and female patients aged 20-29 years, respectively. Additionally, the most increased cause-specific SMR was noted for brain tumor (SMR, 21.4; 95% Cl, 9.23-23.1), followed by accidental drowning (SMR, 8.8; 95% Cl, 3.5-9.6) and falls (SMR, 5.7; 95% Cl, 2.2-6.1). Conclusion: Younger epilepsy should be the object of aggressive treatments. Advancement in treating brain tumors and prevention of accidental injuries may help improve the survival of patients with epilepsy. (C) 2012 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.