Abstracts

Rationale: People with epilepsy have an increased risk of premature mortality compared to the general population. We aimed to quantify which types of causes of death contributed to the excess mortality and to examine whether there has been a change in the excess mortality among persons with epilepsy in the period 2000 to 2015.  Methods: We used a cohort design including the entire Danish population. We calculated life years lost of the cohort members compared to a set reference-age at 95 years old. Using a decomposition model, we examined differences of cause-specific death among those with epilepsy and the general population, including calendar trends during the last two decades.  Results: Between 2000 and 2015, 7,158,638 individuals over 1 years of age were living in Denmark for at least one day. Cause-specific mortality rates were higher for people with epilepsy than those without, and the mortality due to medical diseases and disorders increased over time from 2000 to 2015. The largest cause-specific differences between those with and without epilepsy in terms of excess life-years lost included respiratory diseases and alcohol misuse.  Conclusions: By applying a novel approach, more precise estimates of life-years lost in persons with epilepsy were obtained. The increase in excess mortality due to medical diseases and disorders among people with epilepsy emphasises the need for interventions. Persons with epilepsy die from a wide range of causes, and future interventions should address these aspects in order to reduce mortality associated with epilepsy.  Funding: Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF16OC0019126), Danish Epilepsy Association, Central Denmark Region, and The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH).