Third neurological pathology in France after migraine and dementia, epilepsy affects more than 165,000 people. Absences to convulsions: crises can be exacerbated in summer. “Noyades are a major cause of mortality in epileptic patients. In 70 % of cases, they occur in private environment, ”alerts the pr Fabrice Bartolomei, neurologist, head of the epileptology and brain rhythm service at the Timone CHU in Marseille and member of the Board of Directors of Epilepsy-France.
Risk of drowning: good reflexes
With a risk of drowning 15 to 19 times higher in epileptic patients, the association insists on the need to remind patients certain basic safety rules:
- Never swim alone;
- prevent those around you from the risk of crisis;
- favor monitored swimming;
- warn the lifeguards before swimming;
- Stay accompanied by a person capable of helping;
- For children: support in water at step by step;
- Wear a belt or a flotation vest;
- Keep an equivalent vigilance in a private pool, lake or sea.
Relatives must also know the first aid gestures. These tips even apply in the event of stabilized epilepsy, the heat that can promote crises.
Heat: an aggravating factor
If certain forms of epilepsy, such as dravet syndrome, are directly sensitive to heat, other forms can also be indirectly affected via dehydration, poor preservation of treatments or thermal stress.
To limit these risks, the association recommends:
- to hydrate well to compensate for losses linked to perspiration;
- stay in the shade or cool during the hottest hours;
- to keep medicines sheltered from heat;
- to use cooling means (refreshing vest, damp towel, etc.);
Adapting your habits and anticipating risks is the best way to reduce complications.