Episodes of status epilepticus in young adults: Etiologic factors, subtypes, and outcomes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the type, duration, etiology, treatment, and outcome of status epilepticus (SE) episodes, among patients aged 16–50years. A total of 101 SE episodes in 88 young adult patients fulfilled our criteria. The mean age was 32years. Status epilepticus episodes were most frequently observed in patients 21–30years of age. A total of 53% of the patients were male, and 57% had pre-existing epilepsy. Seventy of the 101 episodes were convulsive SE. The most common etiology was withdrawal of or change in antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), seen in 31% of the SE episodes. This study included treatment of SE with traditional AEDs. Sixty-six episodes were treated successfully with intravenous infusion of 18-mg/kg phenytoin, and six episodes were treated with 10-mg/kg phenytoin. A total of 28% of the SE episodes remained refractory to first-line treatment, which was related to the duration of SE and mortality. The outcome was death in 14% of the patients due to underlying etiologies in the hospital.