The Epidemiology of Status Epilepticus in the United States (S06.005)

Objective: To investigate trends in Status Epilepticus (SE) in the United States by age, race, sex, admission source, disposition, incidence, and mortality. Background SE is one of the most common neurological emergencies and is accompanied by high morbidity and mortality. Annual direct costs of admission for SE are significantly higher than that of acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. Epidemiologic data is limited regarding demographics and temporal changes in the incidence and mortality of SE. Design/Methods: Data from U.S. National Hospital Discharge Survey was used to perform a retrospective cohort analysis. International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify discharges with diagnosis of SE from 1980-2009. Results: During the 30-year period, we identified 699,690 discharges of SE. The incidence of SE increased from 23/100,000 in 1980 to 178/100,000 in 2009, with the highest incidence among patients 80 years old (46/100,000). The incidence of SE was higher among men and blacks. Most admissions were emergent (55%) and occurred from emergency rooms (38%). Discharges to home were more frequent (62%) and the cumulative mortality was 9%, which increased from 7% in 1980 to 11% in 2009. Mortality was lowest among patients 80 years old (19%). Median length of stay was 3 days (Interquartile Range [IQR] 2-5) for patients 80 years old. Conclusions: The incidence of SE has increased more than 7 fold over the past 30 years, however net change in mortality is small. While the incidence of SE is lowest among elderly, the mortality increases by almost 10 fold in patients >80 years old compared to patients Disclosure: Dr. Dham has nothing to disclose. Dr. Milcarek has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hunter has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rincon has nothing to disclose.