In many cases, the patients are found lying in bed or on the floor with no evidence of a seizure having occurred. It is possible that many such deaths are the result of an irreversible cardiac arrest of some sort. Such attacks have been witnessed in emergency rooms, where doctors were completely defenseless to the oncoming arrest and unable to resuscitate the patient. If a seizure is observed, generalized tonic-clonic convulsions are usually reported. There are definite links between unexplained deaths and alcohol abuse, as well as with poor compliance with antiepileptic medication.
Subgroups bearing a higher risk do exist.
It is most often seen in patients with poorly controlled seizures, and does not occur when seizures are well controlled. It is important, then, that people living with seizures adopt a healthy lifestyle which will minimize attacks, and take their medications regularly.