Primary antiphospholipid syndrome manifesting as partial status epilepticus.

Nancy N Maalouf, Archana Hinduja, Bashir S Shihabuddin

Department of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. maaloufnancy@yahoo.com

Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) 2013 Apr

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Primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease defined by vascular thrombosis, pregnancy complications, and persistent antiphospholipid antibodies. Neurological manifestations include stroke, seizures, and chorea among others. Seizures are often precipitated by an acute ischemic event, but occasionally, structural abnormalities are absent. We present a 61-year-old man who developed partial seizures that progressed into partial status epilepticus. His seizures were intractable and required aggressive treatment with multiple anti-epileptic medications. He was diagnosed with primary APS and treated with anticoagulation. Head imaging did not reveal any acute ischemic events. This case demonstrates that primary APS may present as a refractory status epilepticus unrelated to acute cerebral ischemia.

Citation

Nancy N Maalouf, Archana Hinduja, Bashir S Shihabuddin. Primary antiphospholipid syndrome manifesting as partial status epilepticus. Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). 2013 Apr;18(2):160-2