Is it true that epilepsy kills as many people per year as breast cancer?

Okay. It took some detective work, but I think the short answer is: epilepsy actually kills more.

If you trust this wikipedia table, epilepsy accounted for 0.22% of all human deaths worldwide in the year 2002.

According to the American Cancer Society (you have to open the pdf on that page and search), breast cancer killed 465,000 people total in 2007.

The same wikipedia page I linked before says that according to the WHO, there were 58,000,0000 deaths in 2005.

So if you approximate that there were about 58,000,000 deaths in 2007 as well, that gives you:

465,000 breast cancer deaths / 58,000,0000 total deaths = 0.008%

So, 0.22% (epilepsy deaths) > 0.008% (breast cancer deaths).

I imagine these prevalence rates change depending on whether you’re looking at developed countries and access to treatment. I suspect breast cancer represents a lower proportion of global deaths simply because in many countries, women are unlikely to live long enough to get it.

This article from CBS News says this:

“Nothing worked, and the Axelrods were stunned to realize how little research and money were dedicated to finding a cure. Epilepsy strikes and kills about as many people each year as breast cancer, which gets five times more federal funding.”

This article says this:

“Epilepsy in America is as common as breast cancer, and takes as many lives.”

This article says this:

“Epilepsy kills as many people each year as do breast cancer and car accidents.”

Here are a few other websites that say the same thing, here and here.
I couldn’t find any specific numbers, but I read over and over again that it kills as many if not more people as breast cancer and that more people are diagnosed with it, over Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis combined.

The horrible thing is that epilepsy is a condition that is easily controlled at home with a little education. Unfortunately, too many doctors don’t do this kind of education. Well, that’s probably because this condition disproportionately hits poor people, who get care in the ER, and who don’t get follow-up care or training. They’re back in the ER for the next episode.

I once helped a doctor and an epidemiologist with a study about care for epilepsy in the latino community. We looked at how many hospital admissions each patient had where epilepsy was one of the diagnoses. Then we looked at who their doctors were. Then we counted up admissions per patient per doctor and displayed these on the map. The doctors who had a high number of patients with multiple admissions stuck out like red thumb tacks on a map of the ocean.

Thus, we identified the physicians that needed training so they could train their patients in self-care. Which was what my pair of researchers wanted to do.

The problem here is so systemic and pervasive based on the data shown above. I don’t know what the comparison to Breast Cancer means. I guess we’re saying it’s comparable to breast cancer in incidence, but it doesn’t get nearly the same amount of research money. Which sucks, because it wouldn’t take much effort to make a lot of difference.

This is odd. I don’t have time to research the mortality statistics in the US, but in my personal experience I’ve never seen someone die from status epilepticus (i.e. when the brain cannot stop having epileptic seizures). I’m not a neurologist, so my data is skewed, but I consider death from eplipsy to be a rare outcome. How else someone would die FROM epilepsy (except perhaps from pneumonia from aspirating gastric contents) I don’t know.

Edit: The epilepsy website I linked says there are 42,000 deaths from status every year (though it isn’t clear if that is US or worldwide). The number of deaths in 2009 from breast cancer is estimated to be ~40,000, so it does seem like the numbers are comparable. Then again, many cases of status epilepticus are caused by other things, like infections and brain tumors.

The UK and US have similar treatement to epilepsy. The UK lists their deaths per year at approximately 1000 for epilepsy. Now if you take the population of the US and divide by the UK’s population you see that we are approximately 5 times larger and so therefore deaths in the US due to epilepsy should be roughly 5000. Deaths for breast cancer in the US is in the 40,000 range.

I just looked at www.cancer.org at a chart on 2009 new cancer cases and deaths by type of cancer, and the total (male and female) for 2009 was about 194,000 for breast cancer.

@ica New cases are not the same as deaths.

@shilolo I don’t think that people with epilepsy are actually so much killed by the disease itself, in the same way someone dies from breast cancer. I think it is rare to die from a seizure itself. I think that is one reason that it can be difficult to compile accurate statistics about deaths caused by epilepsy. But if you look at the summary of this study, researchers found that people with epilepsy had a 15 to 19 times higher risk of drowning than people without epilepsy and I believe that drowning is one of the more common causes of death among those with the disease. Not everyone is able to get complete control of their seizures through medication and since they never really know when a seizure might happen it can put them at higher risk for death and injury when they are doing ordinary daily life sorts of things. I had a friend with epilepsy who drowned while taking a bath because she had a seizure in the tub.

I think maybe it seems very very surprising because maybe we think of the occurance of breast cancer as being a large number, 1 in 8 women I think it is, but most woman survive the diagnosis. Breast cancer has had unbelievable marketing in recent years, so it feels like it is everywhere, and indeed I know several women myself who have had breast cancer. But, 1 in 3 women get heart disease, and I don’t think the population is as focused or as terrified about heart disease in women.

I have heard of severe uncontrolled seizures causing severe brain injury that can lead to death. Also, if you seizure while driving or some other accident, maybe they count that too? Still, the number is higher than I expected.

I would not be surprised to learn that the statistic is true; there are a handful of high-profile diseases and conditions that get the bulk of the attention. Meanwhile, there are killers out there that aren’t cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and heart disease.
Really, it irks me. I realize that it’s impossible to throw your whole weight behind every single illness out there, but don’t go forgetting about them!

@JLeslie – that certainly puts breast cancer vs heart disease in a different perspective. It does seem as if there are reminders of breast cancer everywhere these days. I wonder if that is due in part to the fact that it strikes many younger women whereas heart disease is primarily a disease of older people. I also think cancer is more feared because of the suffering and slow decline while heart disease is considered to be quick and painless, even though that is not always true.

It is an enlightening subject and question, I had no idea epilepsy was so common or that there were so many deaths contributed to it.

@rooeytoo from what I understand that isn’t so, supposedly women get heart disease early like breast cancer, but I am having trouble finding stats to support that, although this has a lot of stats regarding heart diseas in women including that is is on the rise in young women. It also states it is 1 in 5 women get heart disease, but 1 in 3 die from it? Maybe I read it wrong, that is confusing to me. Still way higher than most people think I think.

@rooeytoo Komen really did a great job at increasing awareness about breast cancer, and now it has taken on a life of its’ own. The treatment is horrible for women, the specific chemos for breast cancer, if someone takes the chemo, is violent. Treating it is very visible, hair falling out, removing a breast or both. I think heart disease has more of a stigma, more related to how someone cares for themselves? I know two women who died young from a heart attack, my grandmother in her early 50’s, and a close friends sister-in-law shortly after giving birth. She developed something that happens rarely in pregnancy, but does happen. She went to the emergency room, and they sent her home, she died the next morning. It was horrible. Four children.

Every so often a young athlete dies, but I don’t know if that counts as heart disease, but rather simply a heart attack. Maybe that explains the stat above that was confusing to me? Unfortuneately the younger you are when you have a heart attack the more likely you die. Older people have been developing new arteries, as main arteries narrow. A sudden heart attack in a young person means probably no blood is getting through. Or, some sort of electrical problem I would think.

@shilolo There are so many things that can kill someone by having a seizure at the wrong time or can even harm someone else.
You can even accidently kill someone else. Hold a child and drop them or you fall on the child.
Fall down steps.
Fall off a balcony
Fall from a ladder
First seizure and you are driving.
Near train tracks (recently a man in dc fell into the tracks and the video showed him kind of dazzed and fall in the tracks)
Having a seizure and fall into moving traffic as you wait for a light to change.
Actually harming yourself doing some everyday function like cutting up meat for dinner.

Also not all seizures are obvious. Some simply put the person into a kind of walking dazzed condition where they do not know where they are at or even what they are doing.
I am glad that someone has actually taken notice of all the dangers associated with having seizures.
I remember a lot of times I did some crazy things that where risky but I felt I had secure myself well enough where there really was no danger. If I had a seizure at any of those times, I am sure I would be dead.
@jca Great Question.

Those are all very rare. I’ve worked in ERs, and in hospitals. Death from seizures are not that common, all causes taken into consideration.

I was thinking about this question and issue today, and statistics, and how sometimes they are misleading. I had another theory then what was mentioned above, which is that maybe (just maybe) epilepsy is sometimes a SECONDARY diagnosis, and the primary diagnosis might be a brain tumor or something like that, something that can be a common killer. So the person might get epilepsy from the tumor or other health problem, and die from the primary diagnosis (like brain tumor) but statistically, they died from epilepsy, as well. Just a theory.

@jca I think that is definitely possible.

I am AMAZED, SHOCKED and SADDENED by the ignorance, misinformation, doubt and myths about epilepsy that I read in many of the above comments. My nine-year-old son suffers from medically refractory epilepsy and, as a result, I have become a tireless advocate for epilepsy awareness and a grassroots fundraiser for CURE: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy. Here are some FACTS:

- Epilepsy afflicts 65 million people worldwide.
– As many as 3 million Americans have epilepsy
– 10% of Americans will experience a seizure at some point in their lifetime
– One in 26 Americans will be diagnosed with epilepsy at some point in their lifetime
– Annually, it is estimated that 50,000 Americans—including children—die from epilepsy and related causes (such as drowning, head injury, burns and other accidents as the result of seizures) and including status epilepticus and SUDEP: Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy
– The mortality rate of people with epilepsy is three times greater than the general population.
– The risk of accidental death in people with epilepsy is 24 times greater than the general population.
– Epilepsy IS NOT an easily controlled benign condition where you take a pill and everything is okay.
– Up to 40% of people with epilepsy do not have their seizures controlled with medication.
– In 70% of epilepsy cases the cause is unknown.
– A seizure disorder is the same thing as epilepsy.
– The chronic childhood epilepsies can result in profound developmental delays and a lifetime of drugs and their side effects.
– Some people have hundreds of seizures every day.
– Epilepsy’s long and recent stigma accounts for much of its misunderstanding and its gross lack of funding for research.

To learn more about epilepsy go to: http://www.cureepilepsy.org/home.asp
To learn more about what it is like to raise a child who has medically refractory epilepsy go to: http://www.calvinsstory.com

Please open your minds and know the facts. Spread the word. Help if you can: http://www.calvinscure.com

@shake6 What exactly are you amazed, shocked, or saddened by in the answers above? The people above linked sources and seemed genuinely interested in the statistics. No one seemed to be dismissive about epilepsy or completely ignorant about it.

Thankfully shake6 has written with actual knowledge of epilepsy…epilepsy is NOT easily controlled. It is deadly and anyone with real experience in this area would know it. Meds have to be monitored and changed constantly to prevent breakthrough seizures…accidents and falls are a constant danger to those of us with seizures. There are numerous side effects from the seizures and the medications. Please don’t post when you have no clue about this disease as you only make it more difficult for those dealing with epilepsy to get help and understanding. Your life changes completely with them…even with skillful help from neurologists your life as u knew it has disappeared. Thankfully, I have a seizure alert dog that alerts me 90% of the time 10–15 minutes before a seizure…but I don’t go out and stay inside most of the time because I don’t want to deal with the ignorance shown above in posts regarding this disease. This will only become worse with our young men and women coming home from war with head trauma…don’t trivialize their devastation. Please educate yourselves by calling your local Epilepsy Foundation for information.

@seniorlady No one is trivializing. One of the best things for epileptics is over the last 20 years more and more people are less afraid of people who are epileptic. Part of that is people accept an epileptic seizure as something that can happen, the person with epilepsy may need some help, and people should not be afraid to help, and that the seizure will end. It may come across as people thinking it is no big deal to you, but actually people feeling it isn’t a big deal, in terms of not something to judge or be afraid of, is a good thing for people with epilepsy. It’s way better than the days of people thinkingg a seizure meant the person was posessed by the devil. There may be more deaths from epilepsy than people realized, but that is not something to be angry about I don’t think. We can share the information without bashing peoplemfor being ignorant.

My aunt ran the epilepsy foundation in NYC for years.

People are not less afraid, trust me I have seen it. They also want to look the other way. If they do look it is to gawk. We as epileptics have to fight the stigma that we are crazy as you can see epilepsy. It does kill, but I really have an issue with is how it seems like a competition these days between orginizations for different things. You fight while I live with it. This comment is not directed at anyone on here, but in posts I can see the ignorance about epilepsy. Epilepsy has a huge stigma attached to it.

@jonboycubs Just to claryify, I am not saying there is zero stigma or total acceptance. I am only saying it is better now than it was 40+ years ago. I don’t know how old you are, but trust me, in the past there was less awareness among the general population.

This is really frustrating, some of you are obviously uneducated in the Epilepsy world. I have Epilepsy myself and Epilepsy does kill more people than breast cancer does each year. To ” Wundayatta” you sound ignorant saying that’s it’s very easily controlled and that people who don’t have it controlled don’t go to follow up appointments or whatever. Most MINIOR cases of Epilepsy can be controlled with daily medication. For people that have more serious cases it can be very difficult to get it under control no matter how often you go to the doctor or whatever other ignorant things that you said. I’m at my Neurologist every single month and I’m switching meds left and right trying to get all of my seizures under control. I fell of a balcony from having a seizure and I was rushed into the trauma unit and I was very close to death. To all the other people, Epilepsy is a chronic illness and kills tens of thousands each year. Don’t even say “it’s very rare to die from Epilepsy” because that is FALSE. Unless you are a neurologist or have Epilepsy and know the facts about it (or a parent who has a child with epilepsy) keep your mouth shut because I find it disrespectful when you say that Epilepsy isn’t a big deal or list false facts. I’m 17 and I’m pretty sure I know a hell of a lot more about Epilepsy than most of you on here.

@Taylorrenee97 I think some people are saying that it isn’t epilepsy per se that would have killed you, but the injury from falling. I know it is linked to the epileptic seizure, but it is different than people who actually seize so much and so severly that it actually kills them; the seizure itself. I think a lot of us were just curious how many deaths are caused by the brain damage of the seizures and how many deaths are caused secondary to the seizure. They all count as risk of course, but there is no harm in wanting to know how the statistic divides up. I would think someone with epilepsy would want to know for themseves too.

Severe epilepsy is getting more media coverage again, because of the marijuana that is showing particular promise for treating chronic severe seizures in children that cause severe brain damage and a high possibility of death.

I am who u r talking about top 3 reasons we die 1 status 2 unexplained death syndrome 3 suicide.
Other than babies epileptics are the only known people that die for no reason!!!
The medicines that we had to treat this disease are much worse than the disease itself!!
And yes most of us would rather just die because convulsions or not the only thing that is wrong with epilepsy it’s a much deeper thing than that
So do your research on all the symptoms of epilepsy and don’t just assume that convulsions are the only thing because you’re lucky if you get knocked unconscious during this process
There is no cure for epilepsy
I hope this answer satisfies all the rude people that have commented on this.
I forgive you and I will pray for you

The below from the CDC are ways of death by epilepsy/seizure, excluding the obvious drowning, choking, car accidents, etc. one could die from while having a seizure.

http://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/basics/sudep/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874327/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC324580/

Yes, epilepsy causes 50,000 deaths in the US each year compared to 40,000 for breast cancer. The CDC only wants to count the deaths from SUDEP Sudden Unexpected Death from EPilepsy when there a lot more ways having seizures can cause someone’s death. People have drowned during a seizure even in their own bathtub, falls during seizures can cause injuries that can lead to death even weeks latter the seizures is the reason they died, people can die during a seizure or Status Epilepticus which are not cases of SUDEP. People who add up all these causes come up with the 50,000 number.