Predictors of Cardiac Risk and Beneficial Effects of Pharmacotherapy in Epilepsy

In patients with epilepsy, sudden cardiac death may occur following status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), in sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP), and in patients with epilepsy and co-existing cardiac disease. However, the relationship between epilepsy, clinical indicators of cardiac risk, and the beneficial effects of drugs that protect the heart are not known. In this three-year project, Dr. Bealer will evaluate these relationships to determine which patients should be routinely evaluated for cardiac risk, and whether appropriate cardiac drug therapy reduces the risk of death.