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Seizures Among Long-Term Survivors of Conservatively Treated ICH Patients: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Impact on Functional Outcome

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Abstract

Background

Seizures are a common complication after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) but there is a substantial lack of information on the long-term incidence in ICH survivors and whether post-ICH seizures affect functional long-term outcome.

Methods

Over a five-year period 464 consecutive patients with spontaneous ICH were analyzed. Focussing on 1-year ICH survivors, clinical, and radiological parameters were retrieved from institutional prospective databases. The occurrence of seizures was categorized as early (≤7 days) or late (>7 days). Functional outcome was assessed by mailed questionnaires and telephone interviews, and was categorized into good vs. poor (mRS: 0–2 vs. 3–5) and favorable vs. unfavorable (mRS: 0–3 vs. 4–5). Multivariate regression models were calculated to investigate risk factors associated with post-ICH seizures including an a priori defined subgroup analysis of lobar ICH patients.

Results

Among 203 long-term ICH survivors, 19.7 % developed seizures of which 55 % occurred late. Factors associated with seizures were lobar location (OR 8.10; 95 % CI 3.04–21.59; p < 0.001), sepsis (OR 4.59; 95 % CI 1.20–17.53; p = 0.026), and history of alcohol abuse (OR 3.36; 95 % CI 1.25–9.06; p = 0.017). Subgroup analysis of lobar ICH patients revealed history of alcohol abuse as the only independent predictor of post-ICH seizures (OR 5.22; 95 % CI 1.25–21.78; p = 0.024). Functional long-term outcome among survivors was slightly worse in patients with post-ICH seizures (p = 0.059). In multivariate regression modeling for prediction of poor outcome, the parameter “post-ICH seizures” again reached a statistical trend (p = 0.065), and established parameters such as age, GCS, and hemorrhage volume were independently related to poor outcome.

Conclusions

Post-ICH seizures among long-term ICH survivors are common and may contribute to unfavorable functional outcome. Especially lobar ICH patients with a history of alcohol abuse are at risk to develop post-ICH seizures. Therefore, this subgroup may represent a target population for a prophylactic anticonvulsive treatment approach, preferably investigated in a prospective randomized trial.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Petra Burkardt and Kerstin Wagner for hel** with data acquisition and Stefan Schwab for valuable discussions.

Conflict of interest

The authors have nothing to disclose. The study was not funded.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Dominik Madžar, Joji B. Kuramatsu, Stephanie Gollwitzer, Hajo M. Hamer, Martin Köhrmann & Hagen B. Huttner

  2. Department of Neuroradiology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Hannes Lücking & Stephan P. Kloska

Authors
  1. Dominik Madžar
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  2. Joji B. Kuramatsu
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  3. Stephanie Gollwitzer
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  4. Hannes Lücking
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  5. Stephan P. Kloska
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  6. Hajo M. Hamer
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  7. Martin Köhrmann
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  8. Hagen B. Huttner
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hagen B. Huttner.

Additional information

Dominik Madžar and Joji B. Kuramatsu have contributed equally to this study.

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Madžar, D., Kuramatsu, J.B., Gollwitzer, S. et al. Seizures Among Long-Term Survivors of Conservatively Treated ICH Patients: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Impact on Functional Outcome. Neurocrit Care 21, 211–219 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12028-014-9968-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12028-014-9968-9

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