Assessment of Adults Epidemiological Characteristics of Status Epilepticus in the French West Indies and in French Guiana

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease characterized by the occurrence of intermittent seizures, often isolated, but which can progress to status epilepticus (SE) when the seizures are repeated at short intervals without recovery of consciousness. SE is an acute complication that occurs during epileptic disease, but it can also occur outside of known epilepsy, indicative of acute neurological or systemic damage. SE is a neurological emergency, the second after stroke. The incidence of the occurrence of SE is estimated at 12.6 cases per 100,000 person-year, but is widely variable depending on the study region. The epidemiological, clinical, etiological and prognostic characteristics of epilepsy and SE vary depending on the continent and region, mainly linked to the exposing or favoring factors as well as the socio-economic level of the population, the healthcare offer of the patient health system and accessibility to care for the population. In France, the management of SE has been codified by Formalized Expert Recommendations (RFE) from learned societies in Emergencies and Resuscitation. The last updated RFE was published in 2018. However, very few studies have been carried out on SE in prehospital or emergencies department. There are no national epidemiological data on SE. To our knowledge, there is no data on the prevalence of SE in the French West Indies (FWI) and French Guiana and even less on the main aetiologies and prognosis of this acute neurological complication. The interest of this prospective study is to evaluate, through the emergency system, the incidence, the modes of clinical presentation, the etiologies, the therapeutic modalities and finally the prognosis of SE in French overseas departments. This study is of scientific interest for the new knowledge it will bring, because there is no data concerning this relatively common pathology in these regions. The results of the study would contribute to the improvement of scientific knowledge, to the highlighting of potential particularities and specificities of this pathology in the FWI and French Guiana, and would contribute to improving medical practice and the management of these patients.