Shefali Jariwala’s Epilepsy Battle And A Connection Between Seizures And Cardiac Arrest

Last Updated:June 28, 2025, 15:51 IST

Shefali Jariwala Death: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which the brain’s activity becomes abnormal, leading to recurrent, unprovoked seizures.

Shefali Jariwala died on June 27 (Credits: Instagram)

Shefali Jariwala Death: Kaanta Laga fame Shefali Jariwala is no longer with us. She passed away at 42 in Mumbai on Friday. Her sudden and untimely demise has left several shocked, also raising concerns over the physical health of people.

While there’s no official statement about the cause of her death yet, initial reports indicate that the actress died of cardiac arrest. Shefali reportedly battled epilepsy since she was 15. She also used to have seizures when she was in school.

Earlier in an interview with the Times of India, she revealed that she was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 15. “I had an epilepsy seizure at the age of 15. I remember at that time I was under tremendous pressure to do well in my studies. Stress and anxiety can lead to seizures. It’s interrelated; you could get a seizure due to depression and vice versa," she said.

The Bigg Boss 13 contestant has highlighted that she would get seizures in classrooms, backstage, and while on the roads.

With her death, many are also wondering about a connection between seizures and cardiac arrest.

What Is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which the brain’s activity becomes abnormal, leading to recurrent, unprovoked seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain that can cause changes in behavior, movements, feelings, or consciousness.

Seizures And Cardiac Arrest: Are They Connected?

There’s a potential connection between seizures and cardiac arrest, while they are two fundamentally different medical terms.

In some cases, a seizure—particularly a generalized tonic-clonic seizure—can lead to life-threatening complications such as breathing difficulties, irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias), and even cardiac arrest. This is most notably seen in a rare condition called Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), where a person with epilepsy dies unexpectedly without an apparent cause, often following a seizure

At the same time, cardiac arrest or severe arrhythmias can cause a sudden drop in blood flow to the brain, leading to seizure-like activity due to oxygen deprivation.

Besides these, certain genetic or neurological disorders, such as long QT syndrome or Brugada syndrome, can affect both the heart and the brain, increasing the risk for both seizures and cardiac arrest.

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