Interaction between COVID-19 and epilepsy during the omicron surge: A cross-sectional survey conducted in China tertiary hospital

• Published in: Epilepsy & behavior reports Vol. 23; p. 100613
• Main Authors: Li, Xiangliang, Sun, Sujuan, Yan, Cuihua, Liu, Xuewu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: COVID-19; Epilepsy; Omicron virus; SARS-CoV-2; Seizures; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Omicron virus; Epilepsy; Seizures
• ISSN: 2589-9864; 2589-9864
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ebr.2023.100613

•The risk of COVID-19 infection may be increased in patients with epilepsy.•COVID-19 infection does not seem to worsen seizures in epilepsy patients.•Patients with epilepsy rarely develop more severe clinical manifestations of COVID-19 after SARS-CoV-2 infection.•During the COVID-19 epidemic, patients with epilepsy who also suffer from anxiety and depression may experience an increase in the frequency of their seizures. It is unclear whether patients with epilepsy are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, whether they experience more severe manifestations of COVID-19, and whether seizures worsen after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study aims to explore these points and provide comprehensive and practical guidance for patients with epilepsy. We designed a questionnaire to collect variables from epilepsy patients. We used the Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, or Mann-Whitney U test to analyze differences between the two groups. Multiple logistic regressions were employed to determine the risk factors for relevant outcome variables. We identified a total of 181 patients, with 74% (n = 134) reporting COVID-19. The patients' educational level was found to be a risk factor for COVID-19 (OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.14–0.80, P = 0.013). When comparing seizure frequency changes between epilepsy patients with and without COVID-19, no statistically significant difference was observed (P > 0.05). However, an increase in seizure frequency was significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety (P < 0.001) and depression (P < 0.005). The risk of COVID-19 infection may be increased in patients with epilepsy. COVID-19 infection does not seem to worsen seizures in epilepsy patients. Patients with epilepsy rarely develop more severe clinical manifestations of COVID-19 after SARS-CoV-2 infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with epilepsy who also suffer from anxiety and depression may experience an increase in the frequency of their seizures.