All issues > Volume 44(9); 2001

Case Report

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2001;44(9):1062-1065. Published online September 15, 2001.

Two Cases of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Due to Status Epilepticus with High Fever

Song Heui SH Shin¹, Kyung-Rye KR Moon¹, Eun-Young EY Kim¹, Young-Il YI Rho¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea

Abstract

Status epilepticus has been occasionally reported as a cause of acute disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC), but little is known regarding the pathogenesis of this uncommon association. The occurrence of DIC in status epilepticus may be related to widespread endothelial damage secondary to seizure-induced hyperpyrexia or status epilepticus due to high fever. We experienced two cases of status epilepticus accompanying fever in which laboratory data demonstrated activation of coagulation and fibrinolytic systems in a 3-year-old girl and a 12-month-old boy. There was no evidence of infection, trauma, brain damage, or toxic ingestion as alternative explanations for the consumptive coagulopathy. Hematologic parameters did not improve despite multiple transfusions of red blood cells, pletelets, and fresh frozen plasma. Body temperature should be monitored closely in patients with status epilepticus and efforts directed toward prompt lowering of body temperature to prevent the development of consumption coagulopathy.

Keywords :Disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC), Status epilepticus, Fever