Epilepsy is overrepresented among young people who died from COVID-19: Analysis of nationwide mortality data in Hungary.

BACKGROUND: Studies examining epilepsy as a COVID-related death risk have come to conflicting conclusions. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of epilepsy among COVID-related deaths in Hungary. METHODS: Each COVID-19 infection case is required to be reported on a daily basis to the National Public Health Center of Hungary. This online report includes the beginning and end of the infection, as well as information on comorbidities. Death during infection is regarded as COVID-related. The anonymized data of each deceased patient are published on an information website (www.koronavirus.gov.hu) and provides up-to-date information on each patient with the date of death, the patient's sex, age, and chronic illness. RESULTS: There were 11,968 patients who died of COVID-19 in Hungary between 13 March 2020 and 23 January 2021. Among 11,686 patients with no missing values for comorbidities, 255 patients had epilepsy (2.2%). Epilepsy was much more common among those who died at a young age: 9.3% of those who died under the age of 50 had epilepsy, compared with only 1.3% in those over the age of 80. The younger an age group was, the higher was the prevalence of epilepsy. CONCLUSION: Patients who died of COVID-19 under the age of 50 were 10 to 20 times more likely to have epilepsy than what would have been expected from epidemiological data. Our results highlight the need for increased protection of young people with epilepsy from COVID-19 infection and the development of a vaccination strategy accordingly.

Status epilepticus 2020. / Status epilepticus 2020

Status epilepticus is the second most common neurological emergency with 15‒25% mortality rate. The principle of "time is brain" is also true for the treatment of status epilepticus: the earlier we start an adequate treatment, the more likely we are to stop progression. With treatment protocols based on high-level evidence, the progression of status epilepticus can be prevented in 75­90% of cases: we can avoid the induced coma or death. At the beginning of status epilepticus, parenteral benzodiazepine should be given immediately: intramuscular midazolam (0.2 mg/kg, max. 10 mg). In the case of easy veinous access, benzodiazepines can also be given intravenously. If the first benzodiazepine bolus does not stop the status epilepticus, we speak about established (benzodiazepine refractory) status epilepticus. In this case, a fast-acting non-benzodiazepine antiepileptic drug should be given: intravenous valproate (40 mg/kg, max. 3000 mg, within 10 minutes) or levetiracetam (60 mg/kg, max. 4500 mg, within 10 minutes). Refractory status epilepticus that persists for more than 1 hour and does not respond to either benzodiazepines or antiepileptics should be treated with general anesthesia (full narcosis). Induced coma can be achieved with fast-acting anesthetics, a combination of propofol with midazolam is the most frequently used one. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(42): 1779­1786.