ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 9, 2014) – A 25-year old female police applicant who was among 160 people that took a physical agility test had died following a seizure at a hospital in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.
Police confirmed the death and said Marichel Dagsan, a native of Zamboanga Sibugay province, was rushed to hospital when she turned pale after a three kilometer run. A medical report said the woman died from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) secondary to Status epilepticus (SE), according to Senior Inspector Joseph Ortega, a regional police spokesman.
“Marichel Dagsan died while undergoing medical treatment at the Zamboanga City Medical Center. She was among the 160 (police) applicants who underwent the physical agility test. After she completed the three kilometer run, the applicant was observed to be pale, thus, she was assisted by the PNP Health Service and brought to the hospital.”
“Therein, she went berserk (seizures) and had to be restrained by the accompanying PNP personnel. The relatives (of Dagsan) were immediately informed of the incident and in fact, (the victim’s aunt) Dolores Dagsan was present while medical treatment was given (to the victim), however, the applicant died later,” Ortega said.
One of the primary causes of HEI is reduced cerebral blood flow and in severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, seizures can be delayed and may be initially resistant to conventional treatments. The seizures are usually generalized, and their frequency may increase during the 24-48 hours after onset, correlating with the phase of reperfusion injury.
An initial period of well-being or mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy may be followed by sudden deterioration, suggesting ongoing brain cell dysfunction, injury, and death; during this period, seizure intensity may increase, according to the medical website emedicine.medscape.com.
And SE is a life-threatening neurologic disorder defined as 5 minutes or more of a continuous seizure, or two or more discrete seizures without complete recovery of consciousness between seizures.
The common causes in adults include preexisting epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, metabolic and electrolyte disturbances, encephalopathies, head trauma, and drug or substance intoxication, said another medical website clinicalkey.com. (Mindanao Examiner)
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