Abstracts

RATIONALE: The frequency with which status epilepticus (SE) occurs in patients with epilepsy is not appreciated. Large population based studies may be confounded by imprecision in seizure and syndrome classification. Prospective studies of SE do not reveal the proportion of epileptics without SE. We hypothesized that SE was common in epileptics and more common in those with partial than generalized seizures. METHODS: We prospectively interviewed 598 consecutive patients seen in our Epilepsy Clinic. Patient demographics, etiology, seizure types, family history, EEG, neuroimaging, and response to therapy were gathered on each patient to determine ILAE seizure types and epilepsy syndromes. Date and type of each episode of SE was collected. RESULTS: SE occurred at least once in 103 (17%); 76 had GCSE, 23 had nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE), and 4 had both. Recurrent GCSE occurred in 22 (mean 1.4 episodes per patient). Recurrent NCSE occurred in 5 (mean 1.2 episodes per patient). There were no gender differences between those with and without SE. Onset of epilepsy was earlier (6.2 8.3 vs. 10.5 13, p=.001) and mean number of AEDs ever used was greater (6.6 4.8 vs. 3.9 3.7, p< .001) in those with SE compared to those without. Age at first SE was 14 13 years. The proportion of patients with SE who had partial seizures was not different from those with generalized seizure types (15% vs 19%, p=.36). CONCLUSIONS: Single and recurrent episodes of SE are common in epileptics. Patients with SE have used more AEDs and have an earlier onset of epilepsy which may reflect more severe epilepsy. SE was not more common in those with partial seizures. This may represent a true lack of difference or be due to the small sample size. Further investigation is warranted to determine if the frequency of SE is differentially distributed among specific epilepsy syndromes.