Tuesday June 1st, 2004 14:30-16:30 Hall N/O Discussion Group Does treatment influence the mortality of epilepsy patients?

The article presents information about abstracts of various papers that will be discussed at the Discussion Group of the 6th European Congress on Epileptology that will be held on June 1, 2004. One of the papers that will be discussed is "Can We Prevent SUDEP?" by T. Tomson. While rare in new onset epilepsy, sudden unexpected death (SUDEP) is the leading cause of death among patients with chronic refractory epilepsy, accounting for 20-70 % of all deaths in such populations. In the absence of a clear understanding of the mechanisms behind SUDEP, a rational approach to its prevention could at best be based on identification of risk factors that might be amenable to intervention. Other papers that will be discussed are "Does Seizure Surgery Alter the Mortality of Epilepsy?" by E. Trinka and "What can We Learn From Hospital Based Studies?" by D. Shakleton.