Abnormal inpatient EEG predicts seizure occurrence independently of renal function

PURPOSE: The study aimed to determine prospectively whether there is a significant relationship between renal function as per the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and the occurrence of seizures in patients who have no history of epilepsy and who required an EEG while hospitalized. METHODS: Adult patients who were hospitalized at Hôtel-Dieu de France University Hospital in Beirut and who required routine EEGs were included over a period of 13 months. We excluded critical patients or those with history of epilepsy. Data was analyzed depending on the EEG result and according to the baseline eGFR estimated by the CKD-EPI formula. Patients were followed prospectively by phone interview at 6 months for occurrence of seizure or death. RESULTS: Sixty one patients with a mean age of 66 (age range 19 to 95) were included (52 % were females). Of the 23 patients who had normal EEGs, 43.47% had abnormal eGFR, and none of them had a seizure. Of the patients with abnormal EEGs, 71.05% had abnormal eGFR, of which 7 had seizures. A significant relationship was found between having an abnormal EEG and the risk of developing a seizure in the future independently of the baseline eGFR. Whatever the eGFR is, if the EEG is normal, there will be lower risk to develop a seizure at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: While eGFR and the incidence of seizures were not directly related, our study showed that patients with abnormal EEG were more likely to develop seizures regardless of their baseline eGFR.