Epilepsy and lockdown: A survey of patients normally attending a Spanish centre

Conde‐Blanco, Estefanía; Manzanares, Isabel; Centeno, María; Khawaja, Mariam; Betrán, Olga; Donaire, Antonio

doi:10.1111/ane.13354

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…According to our results, seizure frequency remained stable during the COVID‐19 pandemic, confirming previous reports 26‐28 . PWE presented no problems acquiring their medication, what has been reported in few patients due to expired prescription or unavailability 27 . Interestingly, no concerns about access to medication prescriptions have been found in remote interviews 29 …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Higher NDDI‐E scores in PWE (whole sample) were associated with higher seizure frequency. Higher levels of depression were found in PWE at early stages of the confinement, 27 but without standardized measurement tools. Our results show that higher medium‐term NDDI‐E scores are associated with seizure frequency.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Regarding the potential relationship between seizures and SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, seizure exacerbation has been associated with exposure history to COVID‐19, 26 although it remains controversial 27 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Medium‐term changes in patients with epilepsy during the COVID‐19 pandemic

et al. 2021

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Objectives The novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic has led to social distancing measures and impaired medical care of chronic neurological diseases, including epilepsy, which may have adversely affected well‐being and quality of life of patients with epilepsy (PWE). The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the levels of anxiety, depression, somnolence, and quality of life using validated scales in PWE in real‐life clinical practice. Materials & Methods Self‐administered scales of anxiety disorders (GAD‐7), depression (NDDI‐E), somnolence (Epworth Sleepiness Scale; ESS), and quality of life (QOLIE‐31‐P) in PWE treated in a Refractory Epilepsy Unit were longitudinally analyzed. Data were collected before the beginning (December 2019 – March 2020) and during the COVID‐19 pandemic (September 2020–January 2021). Results 158 patients (85 from the first round and 73 from the second round) 45.0 ± 17.3 years of age, 43.2% women, epilepsy duration 23.0 ± 14.9 years, number of antiepileptic drugs 2.1 ± 1.4, completed the survey. Significant longitudinal reduction of QOLIE‐31‐P (from 58.9 ± 19.7 to 56.2 ± 16.2, p = .035) and GAD‐7 scores (from 8.8 ± 6.2 to 8.3 ± 5.9, corrected p = .024) was identified. No statistically significant longitudinal changes in the number of seizures (from 0.9 ± 1.9 to 2.5 ± 6.2, p = .125) or NDDI‐E scores (from 12.3 ± 4.3 to 13.4 ± 4.4, p = .065) were found. Significant longitudinal increase of ESS (from 4.9 ± 3.7 to 7.4 ± 4.9, p = .001) was found. Conclusions During the COVID‐19 pandemic, quality of life and anxiety levels were lower in PWE, and sleepiness levels were raised, without seizure change.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

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Medium‐term changes in patients with epilepsy during the COVID‐19 pandemic

et al. 2021

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“…Half reported anxiety or depression, and 25% increased behavioral disorders. In agreement with the current study, the investigators concluded that seizure frequency and severity remained unchanged in most patients during the lockdown [14].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Online Health Survey on Epileptic Children during Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic

Azmy

Abushady

Shady

2021

Open Access Maced J Med Sci

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BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and the outbreak is now rapidly spreading globally. The current administrative measures of lock-down, social distancing, and self-isolation are intended at reducing the spread of the viral infection, minimizing contacts between potentially infected individuals and healthy subjects. However, they can complicate the management of children with neurological illnesses by instigating or worsening concomitant anxiety and depression, hindering the interactions with physicians, and leading to shortages or inconsistent supply of medicines. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to provide information on the medical care and wellbeing of children with epilepsy during COVID-19 pandemic and provide the best possible care for those children while avoiding visits to urgent care facilities and hospitalizations during the pandemic. METHODS: The current study was an observational cross-section survey study. One hundred twenty children with epilepsy following in the epilepsy clinic of Medical Research Center of Excellence, and epilepsy clinic at Neurology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University aged above 4 years were recruited. The authors designed a 22-items questionnaire to address impact of COVID-19 crisis on the care, seizure outcome, behavior of children, and concerns of their parents. The study was conducted during the period from May 2020 to November 2020. RESULTS: The study included 120 epileptic children, 47 males and 73 females, with age ranged from 4 to 17 years with mean age 8.34 ± 3.877 years. Before COVID pandemic, 18.3% of care providers had worries about epilepsy, while during the pandemic, 78.3% of them had the same worries. Twenty percent of the studied patients showed worsened sleep during the pandemic. Medical follow-up difficulties and drug access difficulties were found in 18.3% and 50% of the patients, respectively, during the pandemic. Child anxiety was 20% before the pandemic and 97.5% during the pandemic. Of the care providers, 95.8% were worried about their children of getting COVID 19. Thirty percent showed a need for psychological support, 76.7% for medical support, and 75% for information support about epilepsy. Medical support by phone or online during the pandemic was accepted by 80.8% of the caregivers. The study also showed that epileptic children with age ≤12 years needed more psychological support than those >12 years. All children without anxiety before the COVID-19 pandemic had anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic, while 87.5% of those with anxiety before COVID still had anxiety during the pandemic, signifying that COVID 19 pandemic increased the anxiety of the epileptic children significantly. CONCLUSION: The present study found no increase in seizure exacerbation during the outbreak of COVID-19. During the pandemic, worries of the care providers about progression of the frequency of seizure and epileptic children anxiety increased significantly. Physicians should offer health care facilities including medications and information as much as possible at home to keep children with epilepsy in good psychological and mental status as well as minimizing of risk of seizure exacerbation through adherence. Effective telemedicine tools will prove useful for the long-term management of these patients.

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“…Tertiary hospitals in Spain have adapted care protocols and procedures in many areas and prioritized the use of remote monitoring for patients with chronic disease. 11 Spanish studies of the impact of the pandemic and lockdown measures in the setting of epilepsy have mainly identified collateral effects, 12,13 although one recent study described a higher incidence of COVID-19 in patients with epilepsy than in those without, probably because of the higher proportion of dependent and institutionalized patients in this population. 14 A previous cross-sectional survey-based study by our group analyzing the short-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on epilepsy patients from a tertiary hospital in Barcelona, Spain, showed emerging lockdown-related symptoms such as anxiety and depression in addition to sleep disturbances and reduced family income.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medium‐term effects of COVID‐19 pandemic on epilepsy: A follow‐up study

et al. 2021

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Objective To analyze the medium‐term impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on epilepsy patients, focusing on psychological effects and seizure control. Methods Prospective follow‐up study to evaluate the medium‐term effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on a cohort of epilepsy patients from a tertiary hospital previously surveyed during the first peak of the pandemic. Between July 1, 2020, and August 30, 2020, the patients answered an online 19‐item questionnaire, HADS, and PSIQ scales. Short‐ and medium‐term effects of the pandemic confinement and the perception of telemedicine were compared. Results 153 patients completed the questionnaire, mean ± SD age, 47.6 ± 19.3 years; 49.7% women. Depression was reported by 43 patients, significantly more prevalent than in the short‐term analysis (29.2% vs. 19.7%; p = .038). Anxiety (38.1% vs. 36.1%; p = 0.749) and insomnia (28.9% vs. 30.9%, p = .761) remained highly prevalent. Seventeen patients reported an increase in seizure frequency (11.1% vs. 9.1%, p = .515). The three factors independently associated with an increase in seizure frequency in the medium term were drug‐resistant epilepsy (odds ratio [OR] = 8.2, 95% CI 2.06–32.52), depression (OR = 6.46, 95% CI 1.80–23.11), and a reduction in income (OR = 5.47, 95% CI 1.51–19.88). A higher proportion of patients found telemedicine unsatisfactory (11.2% vs. 2.4%), and a lower percentage (44.8% vs. 56.8%) found it very satisfactory ( p = .005). Conclusions Depression rates increased significantly after the first wave. Depression, drug‐resistant epilepsy, and a reduction in family income were independent risk factors for an increased seizure frequency. Perception of telemedicine worsened, indicating need for re‐adaptation.

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Epilepsy and lockdown: A survey of patients normally attending a Spanish centre

Cited by 19 publications

References 14 publications

Medium‐term changes in patients with epilepsy during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Medium‐term changes in patients with epilepsy during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Online Health Survey on Epileptic Children during Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic

Medium‐term effects of COVID‐19 pandemic on epilepsy: A follow‐up study

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