SUPED In Epilepsy Caused By Faulty Communication?

Researchers have concluded that it is not uncommon for people who have seizures to have a reduced level of oxygen in their bloodstream. The mystery as to why a person has low oxygen levels is still not completely known, however researchers at the University of California have suggested a possible cause of SUPED in epilepsy.

The University of Chicago's Davis Medical Center performed a study on 57 people to try and find clues that would help researchers understand the cause of why seizures caused low levels of oxygen in the blood. The people were divided into two groups. One group suffered from severe seizures while another group suffered from more mild seizures. It was found that over one-third of both groups of patients actually had such low levels of oxygen in their blood that their lives could be at risk, and over one out of every ten patients had low enough levels of oxygen in their bloodstream that in a hospital setting they would require medical attention, like being given oxygen or turned on their side. The study also revealed men were more likely to experience low levels of oxygen in their blood and that temporal lobe seizures often resulted in the lowest blood-oxygen levels.

The data help support the theory that low levels of oxygen in the blood result from a seizure causing electrical activity in the brain to malfunction, which result in the brain "forgetting" to signal a person's lungs to breathe. "It may have to do with an abnormal heart rhythm or it just may be that the brain stops sending the proper signals to maintain normal breathing," says Masud Seyal, a professor of neurology at UC Davis Medical Center and director of the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Program. More research to determine the exact cause is still needed.

Detecting Low Oxygen Levels To Save Lives

Doctors suggest that someone who suffers from seizures should be watched as well as have the oxygen levels in their blood monitored so that others can be alerted if a person's oxygen drops to a dangerous level. Although monitoring someone who is suffering from a seizure can be an effective means of determining if a person is having breathing erratically, it can be impractical and expensive. Watching someone as they sleep is difficult, especially when a person is in their own home.

Prevention is a doctor's first choice. Doctors prefer to try and prevent seizures from occurring by administering medication or by performing operations on patients who are unresponsive to medications (News from UC Davis Health System, 2008).

Resources:

"Drops in blood oxygen levels may be key to sudden death in some epilepsy patients". (November 17, 2008). News from UC Davis Health System. UCDavisHealthSystem. Available at: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/newsroom/newsdetail.html?key=1737&svr=http:...