Mapping the Burden of Seizure Emergencies in Spain: A Systematic Literature Review
Author(s)
Carlos Martin-Saborido, MsC, PhD1, Manuel Toledo Argany, MD, PhD2, Patricia Smeyers Dura, MD, PhD3, Felix Gonzalez Martinez, MD, PhD4, Navid Behzadi Koochani, MD, PhD5, Roberto Ciordia Dominguez, MD6, Jessica Carolina Cruz Arrioja, MBA7, Malena Águila Fuentes, BSc, MSc7, Irene Lizano-Díez, PharmD, PhD7, Marc Manau, MBA7, Noem Sain, MSc8, Maria Torrejon, MSc9.
1Instituto de Salud Carlos III – Agencia de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain, 2Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain, 3Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain, 4Hospital Virgen de la Luz, Cuenca, Spain, 5Servicio de Urgencias Medicas de La comunidad de Madrid SUMMA112, Madrid, Spain, 6General Directorate, Basque Country, Spain, 7Alira Health, Barcelona, Spain, 8UCB BioPharma, Brussels, Belgium, 9UCB pharma, Madrid, Spain.
1Instituto de Salud Carlos III – Agencia de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain, 2Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain, 3Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain, 4Hospital Virgen de la Luz, Cuenca, Spain, 5Servicio de Urgencias Medicas de La comunidad de Madrid SUMMA112, Madrid, Spain, 6General Directorate, Basque Country, Spain, 7Alira Health, Barcelona, Spain, 8UCB BioPharma, Brussels, Belgium, 9UCB pharma, Madrid, Spain.
OBJECTIVES: To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the clinical and economic burden of seizure emergencies in Spain, focusing on epidemiology, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), quality of life, healthcare resource use, and indirect costs. The overarching goal is to raise awareness of epilepsy, highlight critical challenges, and identify opportunities for systemic changes to improve the management of seizure emergencies and reduce the burden on patients and society.
METHODS: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with searches in Embase, PubMed, and CINAHL for studies published between January 2010 to April 2025, supplemented by grey literature. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251028523). Data were extracted on variables including, but not limited to, patient characteristics, seizure emergency features, clinical outcomes, and cost metrics. Study quality and risk of bias was assessed using critical appraisal tool like ROBINS I v2.
RESULTS: There was considerable heterogeneity in data reporting across studies. Most of the included literature focused on status epilepticus and adult populations, a subset of the general population with emergency seizures. In this subset, in terms of clinical burden, seizures were generally prolonged, and a substantial proportion of patients experienced medical complications. Among those hospitalized patients, the length of stay was extended, and for patients admitted to the intensive care unit, the duration of stay varied widely across studies. No data on PROs were identified.
CONCLUSIONS: Seizure emergencies impose a significant clinical and economic burden in Spain. The SLR highlights the need for more effective and coordinated strategies across the patient pathway. While limited evidence was identified, some studies suggest variability in the implementation of management strategies, pointing to a potential lack of standardization. Future research could evaluate the social return on investment of current approaches to justify broader and more consistent implementation of seizure emergency management strategies.
METHODS: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with searches in Embase, PubMed, and CINAHL for studies published between January 2010 to April 2025, supplemented by grey literature. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251028523). Data were extracted on variables including, but not limited to, patient characteristics, seizure emergency features, clinical outcomes, and cost metrics. Study quality and risk of bias was assessed using critical appraisal tool like ROBINS I v2.
RESULTS: There was considerable heterogeneity in data reporting across studies. Most of the included literature focused on status epilepticus and adult populations, a subset of the general population with emergency seizures. In this subset, in terms of clinical burden, seizures were generally prolonged, and a substantial proportion of patients experienced medical complications. Among those hospitalized patients, the length of stay was extended, and for patients admitted to the intensive care unit, the duration of stay varied widely across studies. No data on PROs were identified.
CONCLUSIONS: Seizure emergencies impose a significant clinical and economic burden in Spain. The SLR highlights the need for more effective and coordinated strategies across the patient pathway. While limited evidence was identified, some studies suggest variability in the implementation of management strategies, pointing to a potential lack of standardization. Future research could evaluate the social return on investment of current approaches to justify broader and more consistent implementation of seizure emergency management strategies.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
HSD71
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Disease
Neurological Disorders