Cameron Boyce died from epilepsy on Saturday at age 20. On Tuesday, his family released a statement, mentioning that the Disney Channel actor was treated for epilepsy, according to ABC News.
The statement said, “Cameron’s tragic passing was due to a seizure as a result of an ongoing medical condition, and that condition was epilepsy. We are still trying to navigate our way through this extremely heart wrenching time, and continue to ask for privacy so that the family, and all who knew and loved him, can grieve his loss and make arrangements for his funeral — which in and of itself, is agonizing.”
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, which is characterized by unprovoked seizures. It may affect people of all ages; however, it is more common in young children and older adults. Death from epilepsy is quite rare.
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the leading cause of death in people with uncontrolled epilepsy, which kills at least 1 in 1,000 people who have a history of epilepsy.
Medical experts do not know the exact cause of SUDEP. Patients are often found in bed, lying with face down.
During a seizure attack, one may have pauses in breathing, which could be life-threatening if that persists. A convulsive seizure may also lead to obstruction in airways, causing suffocation. Rarely, a seizure attack may lead to a heart attack.
Nevertheless, one thing medical experts do know is that SUDEP is very common in people who have uncontrolled epilepsy. Those who experience more than three seizure attack a year are nearly 15 times more likely to die due to SUDEP.
Other potential factors responsible for making SUDEP more likely are missed doses of epilepsy medication, irregular treatment, and stopping or changing the treatment abruptly. If you have a history of epilepsy, controlling the number of seizure attacks will cut your risk of SUDEP. So, you must always take your epilepsy medication as recommended and check with your doctor regularly.
