Status epilepticus is a medical emergency with seizure activity lasting five minutes or longer 1).
This can be either one continuous seizure or multiple repetitive seizures with no recovery of consciousness in between 2).
● definition: seizure > 5 mins, or persistent seizure after 1st & 2nd line AEDs
● morbidity and mortality are high in untreated status epilepticus (SE)
● most common etiology: patient with known seizure disorder with low AED levels
● de novo SE in acute illness is considered a manifestation of the illness which should be treated at the same time as the SE
Status epilepticus (SE) is an epileptic seizure of greater than five minutes or more than one seizure within a five minute period without the person returning to normal between them.
Status epilepticus can either be of the tonic clonic seizure type with a regular pattern of contraction and extension of the arms and legs or of types that do not involve contractions such as absence seizures or complex partial seizures. Status epilepticus is a life-threatening condition particularly if treatment is delayed.
Status epilepticus may occur in those with a history of epilepsy as well as those with an underlying problem of the brain.
These underlying brain problems may include trauma, infections, or strokes among others.
Diagnosis often involves checking the blood sugar, imaging of the head, a number of blood tests, and an electroencephalogram. Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures may present similarly. Other conditions that may also appear to be SE include: hypoglycemia, movement disorders, meningitis, and delirium among others.
Status epilepticus can include both generalized seizure and partial seizures and has a high potential to cause brain injury so it, therefore, requires immediate drug therapy
Status epilepticus in pregnancy poses a tremendous threat to both mother and fetus, making a correct diagnosis and treatment a challenging task for clinicians.
Pregnancy-associated SE is rare and predominantly occurs in patients without a history of epilepsy. An autoimmune etiology should be considered in pregnant patients with de novo SE, which was associated with poor outcomes. Thorough investigations and prompt treatment according to the etiology may be required to improve the final outcomes of both mother and fetus 3).