First-ever population-based study on status epilepticus in French Island of La Reunion (France) – Incidence and fatality

Incidence of First-Episode Status Epilepticus and Risk Factors in Ontario, Canada

BACKGROUND

Status epilepticus (SE) is a neurological emergency characterized by prolonged seizures. However, the incidence of first-episode SE is unclear, as estimates vary greatly among studies. Additionally, SE risk factors have been insufficiently explored. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to estimate the incidence of first-episode SE in Ontario, Canada, and estimate the associations between potential sociodemographic and health-related risk factors and first-episode SE.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using linked health administrative datasets. We included individuals who completed Canada's 2006 Census long-form questionnaire, lived in Ontario, were between 18 and 105, and had no history of SE. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratios for SE within three years associated with each potential risk factor.

RESULTS

The final sample included 1,301,700 participants, 140 of whom were hospitalized or had an emergency department visit for first-episode SE during follow-up (3.5 per 100,000 person-years). Older age was the only significant sociodemographic SE risk factor (HR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.33, 1.37), while health-related risk factors included alcohol or drug abuse (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.08), brain tumour or cancer (HR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.15), chronic kidney disease (HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.29, 1.36), dementia (HR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.36, 1.48), diabetes (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.09, 1.12), epilepsy or seizures (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.09) and stroke (HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.11).

CONCLUSION

The estimated incidence of SE in a sample of Ontario residents was 3.5 per 100,000 person-years. Older age and several comorbid conditions were associated with higher first-episode SE risk.

Hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors modulate status epilepticus severity

Status epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening medical emergency with significant morbidity and mortality. SE is associated with a robust and sustained increase in serum glucocorticoids, reaching concentrations sufficient to activate the dense population of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) expressed among hippocampal excitatory neurons. Glucocorticoid exposure can increase hippocampal neuron excitability; however, whether activation of hippocampal GRs during SE exacerbates seizure severity remains unknown. To test this, a viral strategy was used to delete GRs from a subset of hippocampal excitatory neurons in adult male and female mice, producing hippocampal GR knockdown mice. Two weeks after GR knockdown, mice were challenged with the convulsant drug pilocarpine to induce SE. GR knockdown had opposing effects on early vs late seizure behaviors, with sex influencing responses. For both male and female mice, the onset of mild behavioral seizures was accelerated by GR knockdown. In contrast, GR knockdown delayed the onset of more severe convulsive seizures and death in male mice. Concordantly, GR knockdown also blunted the SE-induced rise in serum corticosterone in male mice. GR knockdown did not alter survival times or serum corticosterone in females. To assess whether loss of GR affected susceptibility to SE-induced cell death, within-animal analyses were conducted comparing local GR knockdown rates to local cell loss. GR knockdown did not affect the degree of localized neuronal loss, suggesting cell-intrinsic GR signaling neither protects nor sensitizes neurons to acute SE-induced death. Overall, the findings reveal that hippocampal GRs exert an anti-convulsant role in both males and females in the early stages of SE, followed by a switch to a pro-convulsive role for males only. Findings reveal an unexpected complexity in the interaction between hippocampal GR activation and the progression of SE.

Mortality, and life expectancy in Epilepsy and Status epilepticus-current trends and future aspects

Patients with epilepsy carry a risk of premature death which is on average two to three times higher than in the general population. The risk of death is not homogenously distributed over all ages, etiologies, and epilepsy syndromes. People with drug resistant seizures carry the highest risk of death compared to those who are seizure free, whose risk is similar as in the general population. Most of the increased risk is directly related to the cause of epilepsy itself. Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy patients (SUDEP) is the most important cause of epilepsy-related deaths especially in the young and middle-aged groups. Population based studies with long-term follow up demonstrated that the first years after diagnosis carry the highest risk of death, while in the later years the mortality decreases. Improved seizure control and being exposed to a specialized comprehensive care centre may help to reduce the risk of death in patients with epilepsy. The mortality of status epilepticus is substantially increased with case fatality rates between 4.6% and 39%, depending on its cause and duration, and the age of the population studied. The epidemiological data on overall and cause specific mortality as well as their determinants and risk factors are critically reviewed and methodological issues pertinent to the studies on mortality of epilepsy and Status epilepticus are discussed.

Status epilepticus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cologne, Germany: data from a retrospective, multicentre registry

Background

The “coronavirus disease 2019” (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the “severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2), challenges healthcare systems worldwide and impacts not only COVID-19 patients but also other emergencies. To date, data are scarce on the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacted status epilepticus (SE) and its treatment.

Objective

To assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence, management and outcome of SE patients.

Study design

This is a retrospective, multicentre trial, approved by the University of Cologne (21-1443-retro).

Methods

All SE patients from the urban area of Cologne transmitted to all acute neurological departments in Cologne between 03/2019 and 02/2021 were retrospectively analysed and assessed for patient characteristics, SE characteristics, management, and outcome in the first pandemic year compared to the last pre-pandemic year.

Results

157 pre-pandemic (03/2019–02/2020) and 171 pandemic (from 03/2020 to 02/2021) SE patients were included in the analyses. Acute SARS-CoV-2 infections were rarely detected. Patient characteristics, management, and outcome did not reveal significant groupwise differences. In contrast, regarding prehospital management, a prolonged patient transfer to the hospital and variations in SE aetiologies compared to the last pre-pandemic year were observed with less chronic vascular and more cryptogenic and anoxic SE cases. No infections with SARS-CoV-2 occurred during inpatient stays.

Conclusions

SARS-CoV-2 infections did not directly affect SE patients, but the transfer of SE patients to emergency departments was delayed. Interestingly, SE aetiology rates shifted, which warrants further exploration. Fears of contracting an in-hospital SARS-CoV-2-infection were unfounded due to consequent containment measures.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00415-022-11260-2.

Status epilepticus in the Canadian Arctic: A public health imperative hidden in plain sight

Objective

The World Health Organization, International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), and International Bureau for Epilepsy have called epilepsy a public health imperative, with appropriate emphasis on low‐to‐middle‐income countries (LMIC). Although Canada is a high‐income country (HIC), income is not distributed uniformly. Furthermore, epilepsy data from the national statistical agency explicitly overlook the Arctic by excluding these territories. A common neurologic emergency, status epilepticus (SE) is a life‐threatening manifestation of epilepsy that demands prompt treatment to avoid death and long‐term sequelae. Therefore, we examined the rate of SE in a well‐defined Canadian Arctic region.

Methods

This study takes epidemiologic advantage of the Kivalliq Region's geographical isolation, which is accessible only by air. All SE patients requiring emergency care are consistently flown 1200‐1900 kilometers to a single designated hospital in a distinct southern part of Canada for further management and electroencephalography (EEG). We conducted a retrospective database and chart review at this “bottleneck” hospital to identify patients with seizure(s) severe enough to justify emergency airborne medical evacuation over a 11.25‐year period from 2009 to 2020.

Results

We screened 40 392 EEGs to yield 117 distinct medical evacuations for “operational SE” from 99 patients to derive estimated SE incidences of 99.9 evacuations per 100 000/year and 84.5 patients per 100 000/year. The average time from seizure onset to EEG was 3.2 days. Only 16.2% of SE patients had known epilepsy. For “confirmed SE” cases meeting ILAE criteria, or cases with persistently epileptiform EEG despite days of empiric treatment, estimated incidence was 77.7 evacuations per 100 000/year and 64.9 patients per 100 000/year.

Significance

High SE and epilepsy rates in the Canadian Arctic are consistent with LMIC rather than HIC. Our findings demonstrate the paradox of LMIC‐equivalent epilepsy populations camouflaged within HIC. Our findings also highlight the long‐standing plight of these under‐served and overlooked populations hidden in plain sight.

Predictive factors of Status Epilepticus and its recurrence in patients with adult-onset seizures: A multicenter, long follow-up cohort study

PURPOSE

Status epilepticus (SE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This multicenter retrospective cohort study aims to identify the factors associated with the occurrence of SE and the predictors of its recurrence in patients with adult-onset seizures.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed data of 1115 patients with seizure onset>18 years, observed from 1983 to 2020 in 7 Italian Centers (median follow-up 2.1 years). Data were collected from the databases of the Centers. Patients with SE were consecutively recruited, and patients without SE history were randomly selected in a 2:1 ratio. To assess determinants of SE, different clinical-demographic variables were evaluated and included in univariate and multivariate logistic regression model.

RESULTS

Three hundred forty-seven patients had a SE history, whereas the remaining 768 patients had either isolated seizures or epilepsy without SE history. The occurrence of SE was independently associated with increasing age at onset of disease (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01--1.03, p<0.001), female sex (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.05--1.83, p=0.02) and known etiology (OR 3.58, 95% CI 2.61--4.93, p<0.001). SE recurred in 21% of patients with adult-onset SE and recurrence was associated with increasing number of anti-seizure medications taken at last follow-up (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.31--2.71, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with adult-onset seizures, SE occurrence is associated with known etiologies, advanced age and female sex. Patients with recurrent SE are likely to have a refractory epilepsy, deserving careful treatment to prevent potentially fatal events.

Epidemiology and Outcomes of Status Epilepticus

Status epilepticus (SE) is a neurological and medical emergency, defined as a condition resulting either from the failure of the mechanisms responsible of seizure self-limitation or from the initiation of mechanisms which lead to atypically prolonged seizures. Further than death, SE can have long-term consequences, including neuronal injury, depending on the type, cause and duration of seizures with severe associated disabilities. In Europe, SE shows an incidence rate ranging about 9 to 40/100,000/y. In adults, mortality of patients with SE is ~30%, and even higher (up to 40%) in refractory status epilepticus. To date, etiology, duration, presence of comorbidity, level of consciousness, semiology and age are the main clinical predictors of SE outcome.

False alarms reduction in non-convulsive status epilepticus detection via continuous EEG analysis

OBJECTIVE

Frequent false alarms from computer-assisted monitoring systems may harm the safety of patients with non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE). In this study, we aimed at reducing false alarms in the NCSE detection based on preventing from three common errors: over-interpretation of abnormal background activity, dense short ictal discharges and continuous interictal discharges as ictal discharges.

APPROACH

We analyzed 10 participants' hospital-archived 127-hour electroencephalography (EEG) recordings with 310 ictal discharges. To reduce the false alarms caused by abnormal background activity, we used morphological features extracted by visibility graph methods in addition to time-frequency features. To reduce the false alarms caused by over-interpreting short ictal discharges and interictal discharges, we created two synthetic classes-'Suspected Non-ictal' and 'Suspected Ictal'-based on the misclassified categories and constructed a synthetic 4-class dataset combining the standard two classes-'Non-ictal' and 'Ictal'-to train a 4-class classifier. Precision-recall curves were used to compare our proposed 4-class classification model and the standard 2-class classification model with or without the morphological features in the leave-one-out cross validation stage. The sensitivity and precision were primarily used as performance metrics for the detection of a seizure event.

MAIN RESULTS

The 4-class classification model improved the performance of the standard 2-class model, in particular increasing the precision by 15% at an 80% sensitivity level when only time-frequency features were used. Using the morphological features, the 4-class classification model achieved the best performances: a sensitivity of 93% ± 12% and a precision of 55% ± 30% in the group level. 100% accuracy was reached in a participant's 4.3-hour recording with 5 ictal discharges.

SIGNIFICANCE

False alarms in the NCSE detection were remarkably reduced using the morphological features and the proposed 4-class classification model.

Electroconvulsive Therapy in Super Refractory Status Epilepticus: Case Series with a Defined Protocol

Super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE) represents a neurological emergency that is characterized by a lack of response to the third line of antiepileptic treatment, including intravenous general anesthetics. It is a medical challenge with high morbidity and mortality. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been recommended as a nonpharmacologic option of treatment after other alternatives are unsuccessful. Its effect on the cessation of SRSE has been minimally investigated. The objective of this article is to analyze the effect of ECT on SRSE. For this purpose, a multidisciplinary team created a protocol based on clinical guidelines similar to those described previously by Ray et al. (2017). ECT was applied to six patients with SRSE after the failure of antiepileptic treatment and pharmacologic coma.The objective of each ECT session was to elicit a motor seizure for at least 20 s. SRSE was resolved in all patients after several days of treatment, including ECT as a therapy, without relevant adverse effects. Thus, ECT is an effective and feasible option in the treatment of SRSE, and its place in the algorithm in treatment should be studied due to the uncommon adverse effects and the noninvasive character of the therapy.

Epidemiology of status epilepticus in adults: Apples, pears, and oranges - A critical review

OBJECTIVE

Status epilepticus (SE) is a severe neurologic condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. Population-based studies in adults have found a wide range of incidences in various regions in the world. Although the incidence of SE increases almost exponentially in the elderly, data on census-based population statistics in these studies are scarce. This study provides a critical review with an emphasis on census-based population statistics and study characteristics in adults.

METHODS

We performed a systematic search of population-based studies on SE in adults in PubMed using "status epilepticus" in combination with "epidemiology", "population", and "incidence" as search terms, and also screened references. For each identified study, we assessed and extracted the respective population pyramids of study and reference population, and study characteristics.

RESULTS

We identified 22 population-based studies (eleven from Europe, six from North America, three from Asia, one from Africa, and one from Australasia). Incidence rates of patients with SE ranged from 1.29 to 73.7/100,000 adults (95% confidence interval (CI): 76.6-80.3) and of SE episodes up to 81.1/100,000 adults (95% CI: 75.8-87.0). The proportions of elderly and very old patients varied by a factor of 2.6 and 8.5, respectively, depending on study period and place. Further major reasons for heterogeneity were retrospective or prospective study design, definition of time to diagnose SE, variable detection of nonconvulsive SE (NCSE), different etiologies, inclusion of children, recurrent episodes, postanoxic patients, exclusion of patients with preexisting epilepsy or patients identified outside the emergency department, and choice of reference population for age- and gender adjustment. The most recent definition and classification of SE by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) 2015 was used in two studies. Four studies (18.2%) reported incidences per ten-year age strata necessary for age adjustment to various reference populations.

CONCLUSIONS

This critical review reveals a marked heterogeneity among population-based studies on SE in adults. It provides comprehensive details on census-based population statistics in study and reference populations and various study designs and characteristics essential for direct comparisons between studies. Reporting on these essential key features should be improved in population-based studies on SE.

Incidence of the different stages of status epilepticus in Eastern Finland: A population-based study

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to determine the incidence in Eastern Finland of the different stages of status epilepticus (SE): 1) at the early stage of SE (a prolonged seizure lasting over 5 min);, 2) refractory SE (RSE), and 3) super-refractory SE (SRSE).

METHODS

Firstly, we conducted a retrospective study on the incidence and outcome of intensive care unit (ICU)-treated RSE and SRSE in the adult population (≥16 years) in Kuopio University Hospital (KUH)'s special care responsibility area (840,000 inhabitants). Secondly, we conducted a prospective study using the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)'s new definition for SE (prolonged seizures lasting over 5 min), in adult (≥16 years) patients in the KUH municipality district (North Savo, 248,000 inhabitants).

RESULTS

The retrospective study on ICU-treated RSE and SRSE from 2010 to 2012 identified 75 patients with RSE, of whom 21% were treated as SRSE, resulting in an annual age-adjusted incidence of ICU-treated RSE of 3.0/100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4-3.8) and 0.6/100,000 (95% CI: 0.4-1.0) for SRSE. In the prospective study of early stage SE (seizures lasting over 5 min), we identified 151 consecutive episodes during the 9-month study period in 2015, corresponding to an annual age-adjusted incidence of 81.1/100,000 (95% CI: 75.8-87.0). In this study, 11 seizure episodes became refractory, resulting in an age-adjusted incidence of RSE of 6.0/100,000 (95% CI: 3.4-10.4), of which seven were treated in the ICU [3.8/100,000 (95% CI: 1.8-7.8)], four were treated palliatively [2.2/100,000 (95% CI: 0.82-5.7)], and two evolved to SRSE [1.1/100,000 (95% CI: 0.3-4.3)].

CONCLUSIONS

The new ILAE 2015 definition of SE resulted in a four-fold increase in incidence of SE compared to the earlier 30-min definition reported earlier in Europe. In the epidemiology of RSE, the incidence of ICU-treated RSE, palliatively treated RSE, and SRSE needs to be separated. This article is part of the Special Issue "Proceedings of the 7th London-Innsbruck Colloquium on Status Epilepticus and Acute Seizures.

Change in Mortality of Generalized Convulsive Status Epilepticus in High-Income Countries Over Time: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance

Status epilepticus (SE) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Since the late 1990s, a more aggressive management of prolonged convulsive seizures lasting longer than 5 minutes has been advocated.

Objective

To determine if convulsive SE mortality has decreased during a time of increasing advocacy for out-of-hospital treatment and escalating and earlier treatment protocols for prolonged seizures and SE.

Data Source

This systemic review and meta-analysis on studies focused on the mortality of convulsive status epilepticus was conducted by searching MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL Plus, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews between January 1, 1990, and June 30, 2017.

Study Selection

Studies were excluded if they had fewer than 30 participants (<20 for refractory SE), were limited to SE of single specific etiology or an evaluation of a single treatment modality, or were studies of nonconvulsive SE.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

Data were abstracted and their quality was assessed via a modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale independently by 2 reviewers (A.N. and T.D.G.) using the Meta-analyses of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. Data were pooled using a random-effects model.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality or 30-day case fatality expressed as proportional mortality.

Results

Sixty-one studies were included in the analysis. The pooled mortality ratios were 15.9% (95% CI, 12.7-19.2) for adult studies, 13.0% (95% CI, 7.2-19.0) for all-age population studies, 3.6% (95% CI, 2.0%-5.2%) for pediatric studies, and 17.3% (95% CI, 9.8-24.7) for refractory SE studies, with very high between-study heterogeneity. We found no evidence of a change in prognosis over time nor by the definition of SE used.

Conclusions and Relevance

The mortality of convulsive SE is higher in adults than in children and there was no evidence for improved survival over time. Although there are many explanations for these findings, they can be explained by aetiology of SE being the major determinant of mortality. However, there are potential confounders, including differences in case ascertainment and study heterogeneity. This meta-analysis highlights the need for strict international guidelines for the study of this condition.

Status epilepticus in Auckland, New Zealand: Incidence, etiology, and outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To determine the incidence, etiology, and outcome of status epilepticus (SE) in Auckland, New Zealand, using the latest International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) SE semiological classification.

METHODS

We prospectively identified patients presenting to the public or major private hospitals in Auckland (population = 1.61 million) between April 6, 2015 and April 5, 2016 with a seizure lasting 10 minutes or longer, with retrospective review to confirm completeness of data capture. Information was recorded in the EpiNet database.

RESULTS

A total of 477 episodes of SE occurred in 367 patients. Fifty-one percent of patients were aged <15 years. SE with prominent motor symptoms comprised 81% of episodes (387/477). Eighty-four episodes (18%) were nonconvulsive SE. Four hundred fifty episodes occurred in 345 patients who were resident in Auckland. The age-adjusted incidence of 10-minute SE episodes and patients was 29.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 27.34-31.27) and 22.22 (95% CI = 20.57-23.99)/100 000/year, respectively. SE lasted 30 minutes or longer in 250 (56%) episodes; age-adjusted incidence was 15.95 (95% CI = 14.56-17.45) SE episodes/100 000/year and 12.92 (95% CI = 11.67-14.27) patients/100 000/year. Age-adjusted incidence (10-minute SE) was 25.54 (95% CI = 23.06-28.24) patients/100 000/year for males and 19.07 (95% CI = 16.91-21.46) patients/100 000/year for females. The age-adjusted incidence of 10-minute SE was higher in Māori (29.31 [95% CI = 23.52-37.14]/100 000/year) and Pacific Islanders (26.55 [95% CI = 22.05-31.99]/100 000/year) than in patients of European (19.13 [95% CI = 17.09-21.37]/100 000/year) or Asian/other descent (17.76 [95% CI = 14.73-21.38]/100 000/year). Seventeen of 367 patients in the study died within 30 days of the episode of SE; 30-day mortality was 4.6%.

SIGNIFICANCE

In this population-based study, incidence and mortality of SE in Auckland lie in the lower range when compared to North America and Europe. For pragmatic reasons, we only included convulsive SE if episodes lasted 10 minutes or longer, although the 2015 ILAE SE classification was otherwise practical and easy to use.

Successful Treatment of Super-Refractory Status Epilepticus with High-Intensity Electroconvulsive Therapy - A Case Report and Review of the Current Literature

Status epilepticus (SE) is a severe neurological condition in which epileptic activity is prolonged or recurring, and the likelihood of spontaneous seizure cessation decreases over time. Evidence on the appropriate treatment regimen in therapy-refractory cases is still sparse. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is known as a last resort treatment for SE due its anticonvulsant properties mediated by an increase in seizure threshold during the course of a treatment series. We examined the effects of ECT in a 61-year-old male patient with new-onset super-refractory SE (SRSE), for whom previous extensive efforts to achieve seizure control had failed. To achieve reliable seizure inductions in ECT concomitantly with an extended anticonvulsant treatment, we established a high-intensity ECT protocol: bitemporal ECT was conducted at a double-dosage setting (200% stimulation energy; equivalent to a mean charge of 1,031 mC) including three seizure stimulations during each treatment session on consecutive days until SRSE termination. After the first course of ECT, temporary seizure cessation was reached but lasted for only several days. A second course of ECT was then initiated, using the identical regimen but followed by tapering sessions every other day. Again, the SRSE terminated and after regaining consciousness the patient could be transferred to an acute rehabilitation facility. SRSE cessation can successfully be achieved by means of high-intensity ECT even after six weeks of prolonged SE and exhausted anticonvulsant pharmacotherapeutic strategies. As controlled clinical trials in the area of SRSE are still lacking, the relative significance of a high-intensity ECT protocol in this clinical setting has yet to be determined.

Epidemiology of status epilepticus in adults: A population-based study on incidence, causes, and outcomes

Objective

In 2015, the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) proposed a new definition of status epilepticus (SE): 5 minutes of ongoing seizure activity to diagnose convulsive SE (CSE, ie, bilateral tonic–clonic SE) and 10 minutes for focal SE and absence SE, rather than the earlier criterion of 30 minutes. Based on semiology, several types of SE with prominent motor phenomena at any time (including CSE) were distinguished from those without (ie, nonconvulsive SE, NCSE). We present the first population‐based incidence study applying the new 2015 ILAE definition and classification of SE and report the impact of the evolution of semiology and level of consciousness (LOC) on outcome.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective population‐based incidence study of all adult patients with SE residing in the city of Salzburg between January 2011 and December 2015. Patients with hypoxic encephalopathy were excluded. SE was defined and classified according to the ILAE 2015.

Results

We identified 221 patients with a median age of 69 years (range 20‐99 years). The age‐ and sex‐adjusted incidence of a first episode of SE, NCSE, and SE with prominent motor phenomena (including CSE) was 36.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 26.2‐48.5), 12.1 (95% CI 6.8‐20.0), and 24.0 (95% CI 16.0‐34.5; including CSE 15.8 [95% CI 9.4‐24.8]) per 100 000 adults per year, respectively. None of the patients whose SE ended with or consisted of only bilateral tonic–clonic activity died. In all other clinical presentations, case fatality was lower in awake patients (8.2%) compared with patients with impaired consciousness (33%).

Significance

This first population‐based study using the ILAE 2015 definition and classification of SE found an increase of incidence of 10% compared to previous definitions. We also provide epidemiologic evidence that different patterns of status evolution and LOCs have strong prognostic implications.

Predictors of long-term mortality in status epilepticus

BACKGROUND

There were several studies that have reported on the long-term mortality rate of status epilepticus (SE). However, these studies were conducted mainly in Western countries using small study populations. This study aimed to evaluate predictors for long-term mortality in SE using the Thai national healthcare database.

METHODS

This study was conducted using the Thai national Universal Health Coverage (UC) database. The eligibility criteria for this study were that all patients were diagnosed with SE and had been admitted to any hospital between 2005 and 2015. Mortality was defined at discharge and at one, three, five, and 10 years. All eligible patients were categorized as either having survived or having died. The mortality rates were calculated at one, three, five, and 10 years. Factors associated with mortality were analyzed using backward multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier was performed to estimate the survival rate.

RESULTS

During the study period, there were 21,732 patients with SE admitted who met the study criteria. The total observation time was 85,821.28 person-years. Of the patients enrolled, 3642 (or 4.24 per 100 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.11-4.38]) died. Factors positively associated with mortality in patients with SE were central nervous system (CNS) infection, cancer, heart diseases, chronic renal failure, septicemia, pneumonia, respiratory failure, acute renal failure, and shock. Heart diseases had the highest adjusted hazard ratio at 2.69 (95% CI: 2.47-2.93). Two factors were negatively related with SE mortality: hypertension and urinary tract infection.

CONCLUSION

Long-term mortality in patients with SE had both positive and negative predictors in the national database.

Status Epilepticus in Adults: A Review of Diagnosis and Treatment

Status epilepticus is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus is frequently underdiagnosed and therefore undertreated, which can lead to permanent neuronal damage resulting in disability or death. Despite the frequent occurrence and morbidity associated with status epilepticus, this topic has received little attention within the literature. A systematic approach to treatment should start with management of airway, breathing, and circulation, followed by administration of benzodiazepines and intravenous antiepileptic drugs, and rapid escalation of therapy to prevent morbidity and mortality. Armed with the information in this article, nurses will have a higher-level understanding of what to do when encountering a patient in status epilepticus.

Status epilepticus-related etiology, incidence and mortality: A meta-analysis

Status epilepticus (SE) is a severe medical condition. To determine its epidemiology and outcome of SE, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the etiology, incidence and mortality of SE. We searched PubMed and Embase between Jan 1, 2000, and Oct 31, 2016, with no regional restrictions, for observational studies of the etiology, incidence and mortality of SE. Forty-three studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled crude annual incidence rate, the pooled case fatality rate and the pooled crude annual mortality rate of SE were 12.6/100,000 (95% CI: 10.0-15.3), 14.9% (95% CI: 11.7-118.7) and 0.98/100,000 (95% CI: 0.74-1.22), respectively. Elderly subjects with SE had a higher case fatality rate (28.4% (95% CI: 17.7-42.3)) and crude annual incidence rate (27.1% (95% CI: 15.8-38.2)). The most important etiology-specific attributable fraction of patients with SE was acute symptomatic etiology (OR 0.411, 95% CI: 0.315-0.507). Age and economic income contributed to differences in SE incidence and short-term case fatality rate.

Mortality predictors of epilepsy and epileptic seizures among hospitalized elderly

Epilepsy and epileptic seizures are common brain disorders in the elderly and are associated with increased mortality that may be ascribed to the underlying disease or epilepsy-related causes.

OBJECTIVE

To describe mortality predictors of epilepsy and epileptic seizures in elderly inpatients.

METHOD

Retrospective analysis was performed on hospitalized elderly who had epilepsy or epileptic seizures, from January 2009 to December 2010. One hundred and twenty patients were enrolled.

RESULTS

The most common etiology was ischemic stroke (37%), followed by neoplasias (13%), hemorrhagic stroke (12%), dementias (11.4%) and metabolic disturbances (5.5%). In a univariate analysis, disease duration (p = 0.04), status epilepticus (p < 0.001) and metabolic etiology (p = 0.005) were associated with mortality. However after adjustment by logistic regression, only status epilepticus remained an independent predictor of death (odds ratio = 13; 95%CI = 2.3 to 72; p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

In this study status epilepticus was an independent risk factor for death during hospitalization.