Over 70 Irish people die every year from epilepsy, according to Brainwave, the Irish epilepsy association.
This week is National Epilepsy Week, and Brainwave is today highlighting the condition known as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) to try to secure sponsorship for research into the condition in Ireland.
The cause of SUDEP is unknown, although international research has shown that epilepsy sufferers who have regular seizures, are at higher risk.
Announcing the findings of the recently published National Audit of Epilepsy Deaths (UK) and the implications of it for Irish epilepsy sufferers, Brainwave said it hoped to find a financial sponsor to help fund imperative research.
The most recent Irish research into SUDEP was done by Dr Yvonne Langan, who published The Incidence of SUDEP in South Dublin and Wicklowin 1998.