Evaluation of etiology and venous blood gas parameters of patients presenting to the emergency department with seizure

This study was conducted to differentiate between primary epilepsy and secondary causes in patients presenting to the emergency department with generalized tonic-clonic seizures during the early clinical phase. The Denver Seizure Score was calculated using pH, lactate, bicarbonate, and anion gap values obtained from venous blood gas samples within the first 2 hours of admission. The findings revealed that patients with secondary seizures exhibited a higher mean age and a significantly greater prevalence of acute structural lesions on cranial CT. The results suggest that venous blood gas parameters and the Denver Seizure Score serve as potential biomarkers that may contribute to the clinical decision-making process regarding etiological differentiation. Furthermore, these findings indicate that while age is a significant predictor in favor of primary epilepsy, the Denver Seizure Score alone is insufficient for definitive etiological classification but remains correlated with specific biochemical parameters.