# Childhood Status Epilepticus and Epilepsy Determinants of Outcome (SEED)

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $709,081

## Abstract

Abstract
Status epilepticus (SE) is the most common serious neurological emergency among children worldwide. In the
low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) of sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of childhood SE-associated
mortality and morbidity appears to be especially high. However, the phenotypes of childhood SE, clinical
predictors of SE-associated mortality and of SE-associated neurodevelopmental morbidity, and genomic
predictors of SE, SE-associated mortality and neurodevelopmental morbidity have not been well-characterized
in this region. The clinical and genomic predictors of benzodiazepine-resistant SE, which is common and may
contribute to SE-associated mortality, have also not been well-characterized, especially among African
children. A large percentage of children (~80%) with SE in northern Nigeria experience SE as their first
seizure, and the estimated incidence of childhood SE in Kano is relatively high. Little is known of the clinical
and genomic risk factors for the development of epilepsy among African children who experience SE as their
first seizure. The H3Africa consortium is yielding insights into the genomic factors of common human diseases
across the African continent and and will provide controls for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of SE.
This project, Childhood Status Epilepticus and Epilepsy Determinants of Outcome (SEED), will establish a
large cohort of children with SE in Kano, northern Nigeria who present to pediatric emergency rooms in Kano.
Innovative capacity building will include the incorporation of point-of-care EEG and EEG-video in large
pediatric emergency rooms in Kano, performed by specially trained community health extension workers
(CHEWs) who will be trained in both basic epilepsy care and EEG technology. A team of specialists working
together at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) will
utilize video exams, EEG-video, detailed histories, and brain MRI to perform deep phenotyping on this large
cohort of children with SE. Clinical risk factors for in-hospital SE-associated mortality, short-term SE-
associated mortality, long-term SE-associated mortality, and SE-associated neurodevelopmental morbidity will
be determined. GWAS will be performed on the entire cohort, with gender matched controls from H3Africa,
through collaborations between AKTH, Bayero University Kano, the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular
Bioscience in South Africa, and VUMC. Genomic risk factors for childhood SE-associated mortality and
morbidity will be determined, as well as clinical and genomic risk factors for development of epilepsy among
children who experience SE as their first seizure and clinical and genomic risk factors for benzodiazepine-
resistant SE. SEED will provide valuable insights into childhood SE in sub-Saharan Africa.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10378697
- **Project number:** 5R01NS118483-03
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Michele Michele Ramsay
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $709,081
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10378697

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10378697, Childhood Status Epilepticus and Epilepsy Determinants of Outcome (SEED) (5R01NS118483-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10378697. Licensed CC0.

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