Among patients who have experienced traumatic brain injury, those who have had immediate or late seizures during an acute hospital stay are at increased of developing later posttraumatic seizures. Researchers found that new onset posttraumatic seizures were mostly likely to occur between the time patients were discharged from inpatient rehabilitation and 1 year (9.2%). By year 5, the cumulative incidence of such seizures was 20.5%. A patient’s race, intracranial pathology, and neurosurgical procedures also factored into their relative risk of posttraumatic seizures.
Ritter AC, Wagner AK, Fabio A, et al. Incidence and risk factors of posttraumatic seizures following traumatic brain injury: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study. Epilepsia. 2016;57(12):1968-1977.
