Epilepsy is a common nervous system disease， and patients often present with spontaneous unpredictable spontaneous seizures. Although there are dozens of drugs and intervention methods for seizures， about 30% of seizures may become intractable epilepsy. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy （SUDEP） is the main cause of death in patients with intractable epilepsy， but its exact pathogenesis remains unclear. Studies have shown that respiration， cardiac and autonomic dysfunction， and inhibition of brain arousal are involved in the development of SUDEP. Based on the pathogenesis of SUDEP， this article reviews the research advances in the biomarkers and risk factors for SUDEP.