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In a recent Lancet paper, Seena Fazel together with Achim Wolf and Charles Newton from this department, reports that "people with epilepsy are 11 times more likely to die prematurely than the general population, and the risk appears to be substantially higher for individuals with common co-existing psychiatric illnesses." He adds: "standard psychiatric checks could help reduce the risk of premature deaths in people with epilepsy."

Dr Fazel commented in the Telegraph: "Our results have significant public health implications as around 70 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and emphasise that carefully assessing and treating psychiatric disorders as part as part of standard checks in persons with epilepsy could help reduce the risk of premature death in these patients.

Our study also highlights the importance of suicide and non-vehicle accidents as major preventable causes of death in people with epilepsy."

See also the paper, feature and podcast on "Premature mortality in epilepsy" in The Lancet

Or read about it in:

"Study links mental illness to early death in people with epilepsy" University of Oxford Media News Stories

"Epileptics ten times more likely to die early", The Scotsman, 22/07/2013
"Epileptics 11 times more likely to die early" Irish Times, Mark Hennessy, 22/07/2013
"Epileptics ten times likelier to die early" Business Standard (India), via ANI, 22/07/2013
"Las personas con epilepsia tienen 10 veces más riesgo de muerte premature" El Mundo (Spain), via Europa Press, 22/07/2013
"Epilepsie steigert Risiko für frühen Tod drastisch", Berliner Morgenpost (Germany), 22/07/2013

"Epilepsy Plus Mental Ills Linked to Premature Death, Study Says" US News and World Report, via Health Day, 22/07/2013

"Epileptics ten times likelier to die early" Times of India, via ANI, 22/07/2013

"Epilepsy patients 11 times likely to die early" Asian Age (India), Teena Thacker, 22/07/2013

"Langzeitstudie: Epilepsie erhoeht Sterberisiko drastisch" Der Spiegel, 22/07/2013

Spiegel: "Der an der Studie beteiligte Psychiater Charles Newton bemängelt, dass Epilepsie in westlichen Ländern oft nur von Neurologen behandelt werde. Die Studie zeige, dass Psychiater und auch Suchtberatungen stärker in die Versorgung einbezogen werden müssten."

Reader Comment "Oxfordpsychiatry": "Charles Newton ist allerdings Neurologe, nicht Psychiater, die 'Message' ist deshalb: Zusammenarbeiten, nicht gegeneinander arbeiten, auch wenn das journalistisch weniger interessant ist."

NIHR OXFORD HEALTH BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTRE NEWS

Please follow the link below to read the news on the NIHR BRC website.