BackgroundThe incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) varies significantly over time. To better understand the annual incidence of all TBE cases in Latvia we investigated the disease burden in the country from 1973–2016 using several available sources and case definitions.MethodsWe identified cases of TBE from an electronic database (maintained by the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control of Latvia [CDPC]) by the use of ICD-10 diagnosis codes for TBE (A84; A84.0; A84.1; A84.8; A84.9). In addition, previously unreported TBE cases were found by review of TBE diagnoses according to ICD-10 codes in four hospital databases.ResultsFrom 1973 to 2016 a total of 15,193 TBE cases were reported to the CDPC, 2,819 of which were reported from January 2007 through December 2016, additionally for this time period, 104 cases were identified via hospital survey. From all 2,923 reported cases (2007–2016), 1,973 met TBE case definition criteria and were included in the TBE study analysis. The highest average 10 year incidence was observed from 1990–1999 (27.9 cases per 100,000; range 4.6–53.0), however, the average 10-year incidence from 2007–2016 using officially adopted TBE case definition was 9.6 cases per 100,000 (range 5.8–14.6). For this 10-year time period most cases were adults (95.1%) and male (52.2%). The most common clinical form of TBE was meningitis (90.6%). A tick bite prior to TBE onset was reported in 60.6% of TBE cases and 98.2% of cases were not vaccinated against TBE.ConclusionThe data demonstrate that the incidence of TBE varies by about one third based on the case definition used. TBE occurs almost entirely in the unvaccinated population. Regular TBE awareness campaigns could encourage the population in Latvia to use protective measures to further control TBE in the country, either via vaccination or tick avoidance.
This is the first study of MG in Latvia and the second population-based study of MG in Eastern Europe. Our epidemiological results are similar to those in some other European and Northern American countries, and show high prevalence and increasing incidence of late-onset MG.
Kohlschütter-Tönz syndrome (KTS) is a rare, autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by a triad of epilepsy, amelogenesis imperfecta and severe global developmental delay. It was first described in a Swiss family in 1974 by Alfried Kohlschütter and Otmar Tönz. It is caused by pathogenic variants in the ROGDI gene. To the best of our knowledge, there are currently 43 patients with a confirmed ROGDI gene pathogenic variant reported. Here, we review in detail the clinical manifestations of KTS, provide an overview of all reported genetically confirmed patients, and document an additional case of KTS-a 6-year-old Latvian girl-with a confirmed ROGDI gene pathogenic variant. In contrast to previous reports, we detected idiopathic bilateral nephrocalcinosis in this newly identified KTS patient. Perampanel proved an effective treatment for our patient with prolonged super-refractory status epilepticus. In order to better characterize this rare syndrome and its clinical course, it is important to report any additional symptoms and also the effectiveness of used therapies. Future research should focus on elucidating the mechanisms by which the absence/ insufficiency of ROGDI-encoded protein causes the clinical manifestations of KTS. This knowledge could shape possible ways of influencing the disease's natural history with more effective therapies.
Both alcohol use disorder and depression are important aspects of health in the general population and among patients with epilepsy. Depression is the most prevalent psychiatric comorbidity in epilepsy, thereby increasing morbidity as well as mortality rate. From our experience, we can see that one third of epilepsy inpatients experience seizures that are alcohol-related. There have been no studies conducted in Latvia about alcohol use disorder and depression in patients with alcohol-related seizures (ARS) and epilepsy. We recruited 108 patients with ARS, 44 of whom had comorbid epilepsy. 75% of patients in our study had depression according to the Hamilton depression scale. Higher score in the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test was associated with thoughts of self-harm. Greater consumption of alcohol on a typical day when drinking was associated with a higher risk of alcohol dependence. Of patients without epilepsy, 60% received antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and 17% even used 2–3 different drugs to overcome ARS. A large part of patients had not been warned by their physician that alcohol provokes seizures. Our data could help to identify greater suicidality risk and alcohol dependence risk cases in patients with ARS, as well as improve care for this group of patients in general.
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