Epilepsy trigger factors in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives: To identify epilepsy triggers prevalent in Saudi Arabia with a view to seizure prevention or achieving a reduction in their frequency. Methods: This is part of a cross-sectional study carried out in 2020 in a Saudi population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We used an online questionnaire to evaluate the most common seizure trigger factors. Results: A total of 546 Saudi patients with epilepsy participated in the study, of which 289 (53%) were women. Of them, 263 (48.1%) had no seizure in the previous 3 months. One hundred and thirty-six (25%) had a family member with epilepsy. The most-reported trigger factor was sleep deprivation reported by 285 (52%), followed by stress 225 (41%), missed medication 210 (38.5%), anxiety 209 (38.3%), and fatigue 184 (33.7%). Conclusions: Sleep deprivation is the most reported trigger factor for seizures in the KSA, followed by stress, followed by missed medication.

The Frequency and Precipitating Factors for Breakthrough Seizures in Children with Epilepsy

“…We found that the prevalence of breakthrough seizures is slightly higher in males than females, with a mean age of 6.8 ± 1.6 years, which may be due to more adherence and better compliance to medication in adults and underdeveloped immune systems in children [14,31].…”

The Frequency and Precipitating Factors for Breakthrough Seizures in Children with Epilepsy

“…On the other hand, missing medication, emotional stress, and sleep deprivation are the most common triggering factor in adults, which is attributed to more susceptibility to infections in children than adults and underdeveloped immune systems in children. 2 , 21 …”

Demographics, Clinical Characteristics, and Management Strategies of Epilepsy in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

“…As for the patient's age, it ranged from 0 to 90 years and 8 studies showed a male predominance [ 11 , 17 , 21 , 22 , 25 , 26 , 28 , 31 ]. According to the family history of epilepsy, it was seen only in five studies [ 17 , 22 , 24 , 25 , 30 ] and showed a prevalence ranging from 6% to 24.9% [ 22 , 30 ].…”

“…Only six studies assessed the educational level of the participants; of these, four showed a predominance of high-school educational level [ 24 , 26 , 29 , 31 ]. While the predominance was for bachelor’s degrees of education in two studies [ 27 , 30 ].…”

“…As for the clinical characteristics of patients with epilepsy included in this systemic review, five studies showed a higher prevalence of generalized tonic-clonic epilepsy type [ 11 , 17 , 23 , 26 , 31 ], five studies showed a predominance of focal epilepsy type [ 21 , 22 , 25 , 27 , 28 ], and three studies did not assess the epilepsy type [ 24 , 29 , 30 ].…”