The risk of unprovoked seizure occurrence after status epilepticus in adults

Status epilepticus (SE) may lead to long-term consequences. This study evaluated the risk and predictors of seizure occurrence after SE, with a focus on SE due to acute symptomatic etiologies.

Prospectively collected data about adults surviving a first non-hypoxic SE were reviewed. The outcome was the occurrence of unprovoked seizures during the follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis and log-rank test were used to analyze the time to seizure occurrence and determine the statistical significance between etiological groups. Three subcategories within acute etiology were considered according to the presence of the following: (1) structural lesion (acute-primary); (2) brain involvement during systemic disorders (acute-secondary); and (3) drug or alcohol intoxication/withdrawal (acute-toxic). Cox proportional hazards model was adopted to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with the 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Two hundreds fifty-seven individuals were included. Fifty-four subjects (21.0%) developed seizures after a median of 9.9 (interquartile range 4.3-21.7) months after SE. The estimated 1-, 2-, and 5-year rates of seizure occurrence according to acute SE etiologies were 19.4%, 23.4%, and 30.1%, respectively, for acute-primary central nervous system (CNS) pathology; 2.2%, 2.2%, and 8.7%, respectively, for acute-secondary CNS pathology; and 0%, 9.1%, and 9.1%, respectively, for acute-toxic causes. Five-year rates of seizure occurrence for non-acute SE causes were 33.9% for remote, 65.7% for progressive, and 25.9% for unknown etiologies. In multivariate Cox regression model, progressive etiology (adjusted HR [_adjHR] 2.27, 95% CI 1.12-4.58), SE with prominent motor phenomena evolving in non-convulsive SE (_adjHR 3.17, 95% CI 1.38-7.25), and non-convulsive SE (_adjHR 2.38, 95% CI 1.16-4.90) were independently associated with higher hazards of unprovoked seizures. Older people (_adjHR .98, 95% CI .96-.99) and people with SE due to acute-secondary CNS pathology (_adjHR .18, 95% CI .04-.82) were at decreased risk of seizure occurrence.

SE carries a risk of subsequent seizures. Both the underlying cause and epileptogenic effects of SE are likely to contribute.