John Travolta’s 16 year old son died recently, and provided us all with a tragic reminder of how serious seizure disorders can be. Risk of death in those who suffer from generalized “grand mal” seizures is higher than the general population for a couple different reasons.
First, risk of trauma during a seizure is substantial. Head injuries are particularly common. I usually tell patients who have had seizures to avoid potentially dangerous activities, but just standing up can be dangerous if a seizure strikes suddenly.
Drowning is a well known risk of seizures, and can happen even in a bathtub with very little water in it. Showers are usually safer than baths, but falling in a shower is not exactly benign either.
Seizures that continue for a long time can cause permanent damage, so if seizure patients are left alone and have an attack, this can be disastrous as well.
Overall, many seizure patients are well controlled with medications and can have a normal life expectancy, but as this case emphasizes, there are significant risks.
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It’s very sad especially since, apparently he was under no medical treatment for the seizures. He may also have been Autistic. but the kicker for me is that it is said he was last seen with his caretaker the evening before he was found dead. That seems to be a long time for a 16 year old to be missing…our son is 17 and has AS…and even if he didn’t, i think (i hope!) i would be aware that he had not been seen in that long!