Treatment and Outcome of Non-convulsive Status Epilepticus in Children: A Cross-sectional Study

Background and Objective: Incidence and prevalence of non-convulsive status epilepticus is difficult to know, especially in developing countries where access to diagnostic tools like EEG is limited. The objective of this study was to determine the treatment and outcome of non-convulsive status epilepticus in children. Methods: A total of 38 children were included in this prospective cross-sectional study, having EEG suggestive of non-convulsive status epilepticus. Response of the treatment given was measured by doing EEG after treatment to see resolution of non-convulsive status and improvement in clinical features too. Outcome was also accessed in terms of morbidity and mortality. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: There were 38 patients studied who presented with NCSE .There was male predominance and most of the children presented between 2-5 years of age (n=15).These children were treated with multiple antiepileptic drugs . Majority of the patients had NCSE for more than 72 hours(n=24). There were 23 children who partially recovered from NCSE based on EEG findings while 15 got fully recovered and had less morbidity with p value of < 0.000 .In terms of morbidity and mortality a major chunk had no morbidity (n=16). Treatment and EEG based outcome were inversely proportional to each other. Duration of NCSE had great impact on EEG based outcome plus morbidity and mortality. The greater the duration , the more the morbidity with significant p value of < 0.0020 . Conclusion: Non-convulsive status epilepticus needs prompt diagnosis and treatment, as early intervention improves the prognosis in terms of morbidity and mortality.