The The incidence and associated risk factors of early poststroke seizures and poststroke epilepsy.

Abstract

Objectives: To study the incidence of early poststroke seizure and poststroke epilepsy among Thai people and the differences in early poststroke seizures and poststroke epilepsy-associated risk factors.

Methods: This study was to study all patients who had poststroke seizures at the Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2018. The patients divided into two groups, including early poststroke seizures group and poststroke epilepsy group with a minimum follow-up of 6 months.

Results: There were 3,600 patients with no history of epilepsy presented with the first stroke. Ninety-three patients had developed seizures. Mostly, 54 patients (58.1%) were in a group of hemorrhagic stroke. For ischemic stroke patients, 39 patients (41.9%) had seizures occurred. There were 59 patients with an early poststroke seizure group, of whose 44 (74.6%) were hemorrhagic stroke patients, and 15 of them (25.4%) were ischemic stroke patients. For the poststroke epilepsy group, 34 patients found in which 24 patients among them (70.6%) were ischemic stroke patients, and 10 of them (29.4%) were hemorrhagic stroke patients. Regarding to a comparison between two groups, early poststroke seizures was associated with presence of hemorrhagic stroke and younger age. For the poststroke epilepsy group, there was a relation between ischemic stroke subtype, the elderly, atrial fibrillation, abnormal kidney function, and high serum calcium.

Conclusion: The incidence of poststroke seizures was found to be occur in 5.17 patients/1,000 people population/year. Ischemic stroke, older age, atrial fibrillation, kidney function, and high serum calcium found to be possible predictors for poststroke epilepsy.