Seyedhosseinzadeh Negin, Saeedi Nikoo, Hashemi Anahita, Homam Seyed Mehran
Student Research Committee, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Iran.
Department of Neurology, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Iran.
J Epilepsy Res. 2023 Jun 30;13(1):7-12. doi: 10.14581/jer.23002.
During the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, a considerable number of studies have focused on the difficulties for accessing the medical services and telemedicine-related issues. However, it is not clear whether COVID-19 affects the clinical course of epilepsy. Therefore, in the current study we aimed to assess the effects of COVID-19 infection on seizure frequency in patients with epilepsy (PWE).
We evaluated PWE who consecutively referred to the neurology clinics of 22 Bahman and Qaem hospitals, who had experienced a recent polymerase chain reaction-confirmed-COVID-19 infection. Data were collected through a pre-defined electronic questionnaire.
A total of 104 patients were included. Females represented 52% of the population. The mean age of the patients was 36.73±17.87. Thirty-six patients (34%) reported increased seizure frequency. The mean age of the patients who had exacerbated seizure frequency was significantly lower than the non-exacerbated group (27.50±9.8 vs. 40.14±18.39; =0.005). The number of the male patients were significantly higher in the exacerbated group (52% vs. 25%; =0.014). The majority of exacerbated group had a history of drug resistance (44.4% vs. 8.5%; =0.022). The number of epileptic seizures before COVID-19 infection was higher in the exacerbated (=0.04).
About 34% of PWE experienced exacerbated epileptic seizures after COVID-19 infection. Male patients, young patients, patients with the history of drug resistance, and the patients who had higher seizure frequency were at increased risk for seizure exacerbation. Our results highlight the importance of screening, early diagnosis, and treatment in PWE.
在冠状病毒病19（COVID-19）大流行期间，相当多的研究聚焦于获取医疗服务的困难以及与远程医疗相关的问题。然而，尚不清楚COVID-19是否会影响癫痫的临床病程。因此，在本研究中，我们旨在评估COVID-19感染对癫痫患者（PWE）发作频率的影响。
我们评估了连续转诊至22家巴赫曼医院和卡姆医院神经科门诊、近期经聚合酶链反应确诊感染COVID-19的PWE。通过预先定义的电子问卷收集数据。
共纳入104例患者。女性占总人数的52%。患者的平均年龄为36.73±17.87岁。36例患者（34%）报告发作频率增加。发作频率加重的患者平均年龄显著低于未加重组（27.50±9.8岁 vs. 40.14±18.39岁；P = 0.005）。加重组男性患者数量显著高于未加重组（52% vs. 25%；P = 0.014）。加重组大多数患者有耐药史（44.4% vs. 8.5%；P = 0.022）。COVID-19感染前癫痫发作次数在加重组更高（P = 0.04）。
约34%的PWE在COVID-19感染后癫痫发作加重。男性患者、年轻患者、有耐药史的患者以及发作频率较高的患者发作加重风险增加。我们的结果凸显了对PWE进行筛查、早期诊断和治疗的重要性。
