A deployment of the mammalian diving response (MDR) provides an adequate theoretical framework to explain the appearance of transient pulmonary edema, transient shortness breath and transient confusion after a seizure that interrupts breathing (i.e., seizure-induced apnea).

What’s more, the MDR also explains the sporadic elevations of the white blood cell count seen after some convulsive seizures. 

This raises the question of whether a white blood cell count elevation measured after one seizure could predict the risk of breathing problems or sudden death during a future seizure.

Could understanding the physiological events that result in white blood cell count elevations after some epileptic convulsions advance our understanding of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP)?