Drowning in Children with Epilepsy
Abstract number :
2.392
Submission category :
17. Public Health
Year :
2022
Submission ID :
2204520
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/4/2022 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2022, 05:25 AM
Authors :
Heather MacLeod, MS – Data Coordinating Center for Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry; Kristin Burns, MD – 3. Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; Carri Cottengim, MA – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Alexa Erck Lambert, MPH – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Meghan Faulkner, MA – Data Coordinating Center for the Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry; Sarah Geisler, MS – Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University of Michigan Medical School; Sharyn Parks Brown, PhD – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Mark Russell, MD – Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University of Michigan Medical School; Niu Tian, MD PhD – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vicky Whittemore, PhD – National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health; Erik Buczkowski, MPH – Data Coordinating Center for the Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry
Rationale: The NIH/CDC Sudden Death in the Young (SDY) Case Registry is the only US population-based surveillance program that includes sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). This study used SDY Case Registry data to describe deaths due to drowning among cases categorized as SUDEP or possible cardiac/SUDEP to identify potential risk factors._x000D_
Methods: Using data from the SDY Case Registry, we identified deaths that occurred from 2015 to 2021 among those aged 0–20 years who were residents of a state/jurisdiction participating in the SDY Case Registry (10 states/jurisdictions for 2015–2018 and 13 states/jurisdictions for 2019–2021). _x000D_
Cases were limited to those categorized as SUDEP or possible cardiac/SUDEP with drowning as the cause of death. _x000D_
_x000D_
Cases were categorized based on #1—history of epilepsy, with or without evidence of seizure at the time of death (excluding status epilepticus) and #2—one or more of the following: family history of a heritable cardiac condition or sudden death before age 50 years, personal history of cardiac disease, or clinical history suggestive of a cardiac cause (e.g., death during exertion). SUDEP was defined as only #1 was true. Possible cardiac/SUDEP was defined as both #1 and #2 were true. We also describe selected demographic and other characteristics associated with these deaths.
Results: Among the 3928 cases in the SDY Case Registry, 163 (4%) were categorized as SUDEP or possible cardiac/SUDEP. Of those 163 cases, 18 (11%) were caused by drowning. Among drowning deaths, 11 (61%) occurred in bathtubs, and 9 (50%) had no supervision at the time of the incident. The age range of the drowning cases was 4 to 18 years of age, with 50% occurring between 13 and 18 years of age.
Conclusions: The SDY Case Registry provides important population-based data on SUDEP and epilepsy-related drowning. Children with epilepsy and/or seizure should be supervised when in a water environment (swimming or bathing) to help prevent deaths. Further exploration and quantification of risk for drowning among children with epilepsy and/or seizures is warranted to inform potential prevention efforts. _x000D_
Funding: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health; Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Public Health