Aetiology

Some causes of status epilepticus are as follows

• acute conditions
  • metabolic disturbances - electrolyte abnormalities, hypoglycemia, renal failure
  • sepsis
  • CNS infections - meneigitis, encephalitis
  • stroke - ischemic stroke, intracerebral or subarachnoid heamorahge
  • head trauma (with or without epidural or subdural haematoma)
  • drugs
    • drug toxicity
    • withdrawal from opioid, benzodiazepine, barbiturate or alcohol
    • non compliance with AED’s
  • hypoxia, cardiac arrest
• chronic conditions
  • pre-existing epilepsy - breakthrough seizures or discontinuation of AED’s
  • CNS tumour
  • chronic ethanol abuse in setting of ethanol intoxication or withdrawal

In children:

• acute symptomatic SE is more common
• the most frequent cause of SE is prolonged febrile seizures
• other frequent causes of SE include - CNS infections, especially bacterial meningitis, inborn errors of metabolism.

Reference

1. Trinka E, Höfler J, Zerbs A. Causes of status epilepticus. Epilepsia. 2012 Sep;53 Suppl 4:127-38.