Dworetzky Barbara A, Baslet Gaston
Division of Epilepsy, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Semin Neurol. 2017 Dec;37(6):624-631. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1607971. Epub 2017 Dec 21.
Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are the most common type of functional neurological symptom disorders and are frequently diagnosed in tertiary care epilepsy monitoring units. These are associated with significant decline in social functioning and quality of life. The majority of patients with PNES are women, outnumbering men by a ratio of 3:1. Female sex preponderance occurs after puberty and usually before the age of 55 years. Many of the psychiatric risk factors in PNES (depression, anxiety, history of traumatic experiences, other somatic symptom disorders) are more common in women and may partially account for the difference in sex prevalence. Neurobiological and neurohumoral mechanisms may also play a role, but our understanding is limited at this point. In this review, we present information on epidemiology and risk factors, neurobiological and psychological mechanisms, clinical approach to diagnosis, evidence-based treatment, and long-term outcomes. We highlight findings related to differences between women and men in PNES. Most of these data are not decisive and require further corroboration. While the disorder may be more frequently suspected in women, all patients with suspected PNES deserve an objective and thorough investigation of their symptoms. Early and accurate identification of this disorder should be a priority, especially as evidence-based treatments, which may lead to improved outcomes, are increasingly available.
心因性非癫痫性发作(PNES)是最常见的功能性神经症状障碍类型,常在三级医疗癫痫监测单元中被诊断出来。这些发作与社会功能和生活质量的显著下降有关。大多数PNES患者为女性,男女比例为3:1。女性优势在青春期后出现,通常在55岁之前。PNES中的许多精神风险因素(抑郁、焦虑、创伤经历史、其他躯体症状障碍)在女性中更为常见,这可能部分解释了性别患病率的差异。神经生物学和神经体液机制也可能起作用,但目前我们对此的了解有限。在这篇综述中,我们介绍了关于流行病学和风险因素、神经生物学和心理机制、临床诊断方法、循证治疗以及长期预后的信息。我们强调了与PNES中男女差异相关的研究结果。这些数据大多不具有决定性,需要进一步证实。虽然这种疾病在女性中可能更容易被怀疑,但所有疑似PNES的患者都应接受对其症状的客观、全面调查。早期准确识别这种疾病应是首要任务,特别是因为越来越多的循证治疗可能会带来更好的预后。