Trends in Status Epilepticus—Related Hospitalizations and Mortality

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Abstract
Status epilepticus represents a relatively common neurologic emergency, with an annual incidence ranging from 10 to 41 per 100 000 persons.1-5 Generalized convulsive status epilepticus is both the most serious and most common type of status epilepticus, representing 45% to 74% of cases.2,5 As many as 30% of patients ultimately diagnosed as having epilepsy will initially present with status epilepticus.2,6 While the overall case fatality associated with status epilepticus approaches 20%, an individual’s mortality risk depends largely on the underlying etiology; acute symptomatic causes (eg, ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, acute traumatic brain injury, and hypoxic and anoxic brain injury) are associated with a higher case fatality than are more chronic etiologies (eg, alcohol abuse, preexisting epilepsy, and remote effects of stroke and trauma).4,7-11

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