Factors associated with the duration of the postictal state after a generalized convulsion

Few studies have assessed the duration of the postictal state after a generalized convulsion (GC) in adults. This study aimed to investigate the postictal duration after a GC and the factors associated with it.

Patients aged ≥16 years who presented to the emergency department of a community general hospital with an unprovoked GC from January 2015 through December 2016 were evaluated retrospectively. A GC was defined as a bilateral convulsion with apparent impaired consciousness including a generalized tonic-clonic seizure.

We evaluated 209 consecutive GCs (median age, 42 years) with the median postictal duration of 0.75 h. The univariate analyses indicated that the median duration of the postictal state was significantly longer: in elderly patients (aged ≥65 years) than in younger patients (aged <65 years) (2 h vs. 0.7 h, p = 0.0005); in patients with higher modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores (≥3) at baseline than in those with lower scores (≤2) (2.5 h vs. 0.7 h, p <0.0001); in patients with longer seizure duration (≥30 min) than in those with shorter duration (55 h vs. 0.7 h, p <0.0001); in patients who were given emergency antiepileptic drugs than in those who were not (16 h vs. 0.6 h, p <0.0001); and in patients who were intubated than in those who were not (63.5 h vs. 0.75 h, p = 0.0009). Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that older age, higher mRS scores at baseline, longer seizure duration, and administration of emergency antiepileptic drugs were independently associated with longer postictal duration.

Age, baseline functional disability, and seizure duration were factors associated with the duration of the postictal state after a GC.