FREQUENCY OF CAUSES OF ACUTE SYMPTOMATIC SEIZURES IN HOSPITALIZED ADULTS

Acute Sympathetic Seizure (ASS) is a medical emergency that occurs due to systemic or neurological complications affecting the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, causes, and contributing factors of acute symptomatic seizures in adult patients hospitalized at Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz.

This study was a descriptive-cross-sectional study conducted over a three-year period using a total sampling method on the patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute symptomatic seizures in the Neurology Department of Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz. Data related to the type of seizure, findings of systemic and neurological examinations, laboratory results, and imaging and EEG findings were extracted from the patients' records. Information regarding the final diagnosis of the patients, as well as demographic and medical details such as underlying diseases, medications, and substance abuse history was analyzed by statistical methods using SPSS version 18 software. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

A total of 200 patients with an average age of 49.60 ± 12.20 years, including 52% males and 48% females, were enrolled in the study. Among these patients, stroke with a prevalence of 36.5% and infectious causes with a prevalence of 29.5% were the most common reasons for seizure attacks. Among the types of strokes observed, hemorrhagic stroke (21%), ischemic stroke (10%), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (5.5%) were notable. Additionally, infections such as meningoencephalitis (17.5%), sepsis (9.5%), and brain abscess (2.5%) were diagnosed in the patients. Metabolic causes included hyperglycemia (7%), hypoglycemia (5%), uremia (3%), liver disorder (2.5%), and hyponatremia (1%). Poisoning (4%) and alcohol consumption (3%) were identified as toxic causes leading to seizures.​

Considering the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that stroke and infections were the most common causes of acute symptomatic seizures in our study population. These findings highlight a high prevalence of such cases in developing countries, emphasizing the need for attention. It seems that more extensive studies with larger sample sizes and multicentric approaches are necessary in the country so that the obtained results can be effectively utilized for the control of risk factors and healthcare decision-making.