Al Kiyumi Hamood, Al-Huseini Salim, Mirza Hassan, Al Balushi Naser, Al-Risi Khalid, Al Toubi Alsalt, Al Hosni Amira, Al-Mashaikhi Talal, Al Balushi Rola, Al-Adawi Samir
Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Oman Medical Specialty Board, Muscat, Oman.
Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
Oman Med J. 2021 Nov 30;36(6):e329. doi: 10.5001/omj.2021.112. eCollection 2021 Nov.
Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder in children and comorbid depression is common. This study aimed to assess the frequency of depressive symptoms along with demographic and clinical factors in children diagnosed with epilepsy in a tertiary care institution in Oman.
This cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2016 and August 2018 and included children (n = 75) aged 6-12 years old attending the epilepsy clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman. The cohort constituted of children with epilepsy (CWE) following up at a dedicated unit. We used the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children to assess the presence of depressive symptoms. Associated factors, including history of seizure in the last three months, compliance with antiepileptic medications, and type of epilepsy were also examined.
Depressive symptoms were endorsed in 52.0% of CWE and 96.0% were compliant to medications. Recurrent seizures were present in the last three months among 48.0% of the CWE. The type of epilepsy was significantly associated with the presence of depressive symptoms.
Depression is prevalent among Omani CWE. Certain clinical factors appeared to increase the risk of depression among this population. The findings of this study fill a gap in the existing literature and call for further work aiming to explore possible tailored recognition and CWE.
癫痫是儿童中最常见的神经系统疾病，合并抑郁症很常见。本研究旨在评估阿曼一家三级医疗机构中被诊断为癫痫的儿童的抑郁症状发生频率以及人口统计学和临床因素。
这项横断面研究于2016年6月至2018年8月进行，纳入了阿曼苏丹卡布斯大学医院癫痫门诊的6至12岁儿童（n = 75）。该队列由在一个专门科室随访的癫痫患儿（CWE）组成。我们使用儿童流行病学研究中心抑郁量表来评估抑郁症状的存在情况。还检查了相关因素，包括过去三个月的癫痫发作史、对抗癫痫药物的依从性以及癫痫类型。
52.0%的CWE存在抑郁症状，96.0%的患儿依从药物治疗。48.0%的CWE在过去三个月内有癫痫复发。癫痫类型与抑郁症状的存在显著相关。
抑郁症在阿曼的CWE中很普遍。某些临床因素似乎增加了该人群患抑郁症的风险。本研究结果填补了现有文献的空白，并呼吁开展进一步工作，旨在探索可能的针对性识别方法和对CWE的治疗。
