Abstracts

Rationale: Epilepsy is a common disorder with a prevalence of approximately 6.4 per 1,000 patients. A recent CDC study reported that up to 2.1% of Tennesseans might be affected by Epilepsy. Status epilepticus, a unique state of an epileptic seizure incapable of spontaneous resolution, is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. In this analysis, we examined the incidence of status epilepticus (as a primary diagnosis) by gender among adult patients hospitalized from 1997-2006 in the state of Tennessee, USA Methods: We extracted relevant data on adults 18 years and older pertaining to ICD-9 code (345.3) for status epilepticus from Tennessee Hospital Discharge Data System (HDDS: 1997-2006). We reviewed the number of emergency visits for these patients as well as the duration of hospital stay. Hospitalization rate of these patients was age adjusted per 2000 census data. Results: Age adjusted rates per 100K ranged from 0.7 - 4.0 per 100,000 for inpatient from 1997 to 2006 and for ED discharges, it Ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 per 100k. Total number of ED visits for status epilepticus increased significantly from 33 in 1997 to 87 in 2006, males were more likely to present themselves to ED for status epilepticus. Further, males presenting for ED services tripled from 16 cases in 1997 to 48 cases in 2006. Similarly inpatient discharges with a final diagnosis of status epilepticus were higher for males than females (83 in 1997 to 138 in 2006 for males vs. 84 in 1997 to 102 for females). Further, the duration of hospital stay was longer for females than males in 2006 (4.54 days for males vs. 6.36 days for females) suggesting that females had more complex and severe problems associated with status epilepticus, which required longer treatment. Conclusions: The hospital-based prevalence for status epilepticus in TN appeared to have increased over time and it is higher for men than women. Hospital stay for men with status epilepticus has decreased compared to females, which indicates that severity of status epilepticus is higher among females requiring hospital longer treatment. Future research needs to focus on this gender health disparity and compliance with antiepileptic medications regarding status epilepticus among adults