Analysis on associated risk factors of post-stroke epilepsy

Objective To study the clinical characteristics of post-stroke epilepsy and analyze the related risk factors of epilepsy onset after stroke. Methods A retrospective study was conducted among 1 008 stroke patients in our hospital and the related risk factors for epilepsy onset secondary to stroke were analyzed. Results The incidence of epilepsy after stroke was 5.36%, among which 63.11% was early-onset epilepsy, and simple partial seizure was the predominant seizure type. But only 38.89% was late-onset epilepsy and the seizure type was mainly generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Univariate analysis showed that gender (χ²=4.12, P=0.042), diabetes (χ²=4.89, P=0.027), pulmonary infection (χ²=8.95, P=0.003), lesion location (χ²=45.14,P<0.001) and scope of lesions (χ²=23.32, P<0.001) were associated with seizures after stroke; Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that gender (OR=1.946, 95% CI:1.039-3.644), pulmonary infection (OR=3.618,95% CI:1.536-8.520), lesion location (OR=6.435, 95% CI:3.353-12.349) and scope of lesions (OR=2.513,95% CI:1.374-4.599) were more prone to seizures after stroke (all P<0.05). Conclusions Males, pulmonary infection, lesion location in cortex and the bigger scope of lesions may be the risk factors of secondary epilepsy after stroke.