Predictors and incidence of acute seizures after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

Background Different studies have reported the incidence and predictors of seizures in cases of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) with the possibility of increase in mortality and neurological and medical complications. Objective This study was designed to identify the incidence and predictors of acute seizures in patients with sICH. Patients and methods We retrospectively evaluated patients with first-ever sICH hospitalized at the Mansoura Neurology Department (Egypt) over a 1-year period. Important data like age, sex, vascular risk factors, clinical scale scores such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the modified Rankin scale scores, intracerebral hemorrhage volume, site, and location, and seizure types were collected. Results A total of 360 patients with hemorrhagic stroke were studied, comprising 201 men and 159 women, of a mean age of 67.3 +/- 12.7 years. The incidence of seizures in sICH was 9%, with statistically significant difference with regard to type (lobar) and location (cortical) of the hematoma (30 and 17 patients, P = 0.002 and 0.003, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the only factors appearing to be independent seizure predictors were cortical hematoma and lobar hematomas. Conclusion We concluded that relatively old patients with definite lobar and cortical hematomas run a risk for immediate seizures irrespective of hematoma size or clinical state.