Status Epilepticus in Children: Risk Factors and Clinical Evaluation

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Status epilepticus (SE) in children is a critical condition that can be life-threatening. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with the occurrence of SE after a first convulsive seizure in children. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted at the pediatric department of BEN AROUS regional hospital between January 2015 and December 2019. RESULTS: A total of 300 patients admitted for a first epileptic seizure were included in this analysis. The mean age of the patients was 33 months. Seizures were generalized in 92.7%, with tonic-clonic seizures being the most common (54.8%). SE was diagnosed as inaugural in 29% of cases. Abnormalities in EEG were observed in 36.5% of cases, while MRI revealed abnormal results in 32.8% of patients. Factors associated with a risk of SE recurrence were age younger than 1 year (p = 0.003), neuromotor retardation (p = 0.001), EEG abnormalities (p < 0.001), MRI abnormalities (p = 0.001), and abrupte discontinuation of antiepileptic treatment (p < 0.001). Simple febrile seizure was identified as a protective factor (p = 0.038). CONCLUSION: The study identified that age under 1 year, neuromotor delay, and abnormalities in EEG and MRI are significant risk factors for the recurrence of status epilepticus after a first epileptic seizure in children. These findings suggest targeted preventive strategies to improve the management and prognosis of these patients.