Occurrence of status epilepticus in persons with epilepsy is determined by sex, epilepsy classification, and etiology: a single center cohort study

Seizures in inflammatory demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system

BACKGROUND

Multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) may be associated with acute symptomatic seizures and chronic epilepsy as well. The clinical features of the seizures and/or accompanying epilepsy seen in each disease group may vary. In this study, we aimed to contribute to the existing literature by describing the clinical features of seizures and epilepsy in our demyelinating patient population.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed patients who were followed up in our tertiary referral center neurology demyelinating diseases outpatient clinic between 2019 and 2024. Patients who had at least one seizure before, simultaneously, or after the diagnosis of demyelinating disease were included in the study.

RESULTS

Among 1735 patients with MS, 40 had experienced at least one epileptic seizure (2.3 %). Thirty patients (1.7 %) had seizures that could not be explained by another factor than MS. When secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) were compared, the interval between MS-epilepsy diagnosis was longer and seizure recurrence was more in SPMS. However, the prognosis of epilepsy was good in both subtypes. There were 21 patients followed up with antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. No patient had a seizure during the follow-up. We identified 56 patients who fulfilled the criteria for MOGAD with high antibody titers. Seizures were observed in three of them (5.4 %). All of them had status epilepticus either at the onset or during the course of the disease.

CONCLUSION

Even rare, seizures constitute one of the important clinical features of the inflammatory demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system. The pathophysiologic mechanism underlying seizures in MS is still not clear. Seizures may occur through different mechanisms in patients where seizures are the initial symptom or a sign of relapse and those that occur spontaneously during the progressive course of the disease. Prevalence of status epilepticus was common in MOGAD patients. Given the rarity of the seizures in CNS demyelinating disorders, it is difficult the define clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of accompanying seizures and epilepsy. Future studies conducted on large patient groups will contribute to the existing literature.

Prophylactic antiseizure medications for recurrent status epilepticus in nonsyndromic childhood epilepsy

PURPOSE

The management of status epilepticus (SE) has mainly focused on the termination of ongoing SE episodes. However, long-term therapeutic strategies for the prevention of SE are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of prophylactic antiseizure medications (ASMs) for SEs in nonsyndromic childhood epilepsy.

METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted at Jikei University Hospital. Patients <18 years of age, diagnosed with epilepsy, and experiencing three or more SE episodes within 1 year between April 1, 2017, and October 1, 2021, were included. ASMs introduced for seizure types that developed into SE were evaluated. The effectiveness of ASMs was determined by using the "Rule of Three": An ASM was determined effective if patients were free of SE for a duration at least three times that of their longest SE interval in 12 months prior to intervention.

RESULTS

The investigation included a total of 32 ASMs administered to 13 patients. The longest interval between SE episodes before ASM administration was 28-257 d. The first SE interval after ASM administration was 12-797 d. Levetiracetam (LEV) and clobazam (CLB) showed effectiveness in 2/10 and 5/6 patients, respectively. Other ASMs were ineffective. The leading etiology of epilepsy was perinatal brain injury, identified in four patients, and CLB was effective in all of them.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study suggests that CLB and LEV may prolong the SE interval in some cases of nonsyndromic childhood epilepsy. CLB may be beneficial, particularly in patients with perinatal brain injury.

The impact of a history of status epilepticus for epilepsy surgery outcome

OBJECTIVE

Patients with focal drug resistant epilepsy are excellent candidates for epilepsy surgery. Status epilepticus (SE) and seizure clusters (SC), described in a subset of patients, have both been associated with extended epileptogenic cerebral networks within one or both hemispheres. In this retrospective study, we were interested to determine if a history of SE or SC is associated with a worse surgical outcome.

METHODS

Data of 244 patients operated between 2000 to 2018 were reviewed, with a follow-up of at least 2 years. Patients with a previous history of SE or SC were compared to operated patients without these conditions (control group, CG).

RESULTS

We identified 27 (11%) and 38 (15.5%) patients with history of SE or SC, respectively. No difference in post-operative outcome was found for SE and SC patients. Compared to the control group, patients with a history of SE were diagnosed and operated significantly at earlier age(p = 0.01), and after a shorter duration of the disease (p = 0.027), but with a similar age of onset.

SIGNIFICANCE

A history of SE or SC was not associated with a worse post-operative prognosis. Earlier referral of SE patients for surgery suggests a heightened awareness regarding serious complications of recurrent SE by the referring neurologist or neuropediatrician. While the danger of SE is evident, policies to underline the impact for SC or very frequent seizures might be an efficient approach to accelerate patient referral also for this patient group.

Sex-related differences in adult patients with status epilepticus: a seven-year two-center observation

BACKGROUND

Conflicting findings exist regarding the influence of sex on the development, treatment, course, and outcome of status epilepticus (SE). Our study aimed to investigate sex-related disparities in adult SE patients, focusing on treatment, disease course, and outcome at two Swiss academic medical centers.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, patients treated for SE at two Swiss academic care centers from Basel and Geneva from 2015 to 2021 were included. Primary outcomes were return to premorbid neurologic function, death during hospital stay and at 30 days. Secondary outcomes included characteristics of treatment and disease course. Associations with primary and secondary outcomes were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Analysis using propensity score matching was performed to account for the imbalances regarding age between men and women.

RESULTS

Among 762 SE patients, 45.9% were women. No sex-related differences were found between men and women, except for older age and lower frequency of intracranial hemorrhages in women. Compared to men, women had a higher median age (70 vs. 66, p = 0.003), had focal nonconvulsive SE without coma more (34.9% vs. 25.5%; p = 0.005) and SE with motor symptoms less often (52.3% vs. 63.6%, p = 0.002). With longer SE duration (1 day vs. 0.5 days, p = 0.011) and a similar proportion of refractory SE compared to men (36.9% vs. 36.4%, p = 0.898), women were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated less often (30.6% vs. 42%, p = 0.001). Age was associated with all primary outcomes in the unmatched multivariable analyses, but not female sex. In contrast, propensity score-matched multivariable analyses revealed decreased odds for return to premorbid neurologic function for women independent of potential confounders. At hospital discharge, women were sent home less (29.7% vs. 43.7%, p < 0.001) and to nursing homes more often (17.1% vs. 10.0%, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified sex-related disparities in the clinical features, treatment modalities, and outcome of adult patients with SE with women being at a disadvantage, implying that sex-based factors must be considered when formulating strategies for managing SE and forecasting outcomes.

Acute Symptomatic Seizures and Risk of Epilepsy in Autoimmune Encephalitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Purpose

To investigate the clinical characteristics of acute symptomatic seizures and the predictors of the development of epilepsy in patients with anti-NMDAR, anti-LGI1, and anti-GABABR encephalitis.

Methods

We retrospectively screened the medical records of 86 hospitalized patients with confirmed autoimmune encephalitis (AE). The clinical characteristics of acute symptomatic seizures were analyzed. The predictors of the development of epilepsy were investigated using logistic regression analysis.

Results

A total of 86 patients with AE were finally included. Eighty-six percent of patients (n = 74) experienced acute symptomatic seizures, and 28.4% of patients developed epilepsy during follow-up. Abnormal EEG findings were more frequent in AE patients with acute symptomatic seizures. A greater number of anti-seizure medications (ASMs), abnormal EEG findings, and delayed immunotherapy were found to be independently associated with the development of epilepsy.

Conclusion

Acute symptomatic seizures are a common manifestation in AE patients. During follow-up, 28.4% of AE patients developed epilepsy. The independent factors that predicted the development of epilepsy after the acute phase included a larger number of ASMs, EEG abnormalities, and delayed immunotherapy. In clinical practice, we should prioritize immunotherapy to control acute seizures as soon as possible. For AE patients with an increased risk of developing epilepsy, early withdrawal of ASM is not recommended.