Status Update: Death, Aging, and Disparity: Mortality and Status Epilepticus

Trends in Status Epilepticus-Related Mortality Disparities in the United States, 1999–2020. Budd W, Law CA, Shaik NF, Camitan M, Woodward MR, Schneider ALC, Johnson EL. Neurology. 2025;105(7):e214098. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000214098. Epub 2025 Sep 8. PMID: 40921023. Objectives: Status epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening neurologic emergency. Although health disparities in epilepsy are well-documented, disparities in SE mortality are not fully understood. This study analyzes mortality trends and demographics in the United States from 1999 through 2020. Methods: This was a retrospective study of national data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research platform. We identified annual deaths due to SE for the years 1999 through 2020, stratified by age and by race and ethnicity. Results: From 1999 through 2020, there were 16,491 deaths due to SE in the United States. Overall, there was nearly a 2-fold increase in the age-standardized mortality due to the SE rate from 1999 to 2020 (0.13 per 100,000 persons [95% CI 0.11-0.15] in 1999 to 0.25 per 100,000 persons [95% CI 0.23-0.27] in 2020). This increase was most pronounced among older individuals (aged 75 years and older, followed by ages 50-74 years), and in non-Hispanic Black or African American individuals. Discussion: Over the past 2 decades, deaths attributed to SE have increased. This increase was most pronounced among individuals aged 75 years or older and Black or African Americans. Investigation into the underlying causes of SE-related mortality and reasons for these disparities is needed.