Impact of COVID-19 on the lives and psychosocial well-being of persons with epilepsy during the third trimester of the pandemic: Results from an international, online survey.
Epilepsy Behav
; 116: 107800, 2021 03.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1057514
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) measures on the lives and psychosocial well-being of persons with epilepsy (PWE) during the third trimester of the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS:
A structured questionnaire investigating different aspects of the lives and psychosocial well-being of PWE during the COVID-19 pandemic was developed. Persons with epilepsy were invited via social media to anonymously respond to a secure web-based online questionnaire (www.icpcovid.com). Responses were collected between July 26th and December 3rd, 2020. Hospital anxiety and depression scales (HADS) were used to screen respondents for depression (HADS-D) and anxiety (HADS-A).RESULTS:
Responses of 407 PWE were included in the analysis; 304 (74.7%) respondents were female and 245 (60.2%) living in Europe, 157 (38.6%) in South America, and 5 (1.2%) in Canada. Seventy-six (18.7%) reported a decrease of income during the COVID-19 lockdown, and 122 (30.0%) experienced difficulties in obtaining anti-seizure medication (ASM), mostly (72/122, 59.0%) due to unavailability. Seizure frequency increased in 122 (30.0%); 295 (72.5%) screened positive for anxiety, and 159 (39.1%) for depression. Hundred eighty-eight (46.2%) reported reluctance to seek medical care; 27.3% believed that epilepsy was associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 disease. Forty-six (74.2%) of 62 PWE who were followed up by telephone or video consult were satisfied with this consult. Fifty-five respondents, most (89.1%) of whom were from Europe, had also participated in a previous survey during the early months of the pandemic. In this subgroup, although there was no difference in prevalence of a positive screening for depression or anxiety, mean scores on HADS-A and HADS-D increased from 6.65⯱â¯3.99 to 7.27⯱â¯4.01 (pâ¯=â¯0.418), and from 5.84⯱â¯4.43 to 6.60⯱â¯4.45 (pâ¯=â¯0.371), respectively.CONCLUSIONS:
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the psychosocial and somatic well-being of PWE. To minimize this impact, ensuring uninterrupted access to ASM is essential. Teleconsultations are valid alternatives for continued follow-up, but should include attention to psychosocial well-being. Persons with epilepsy should be more actively informed that epilepsy is not a risk factor for developing (more severe) COVID-19 disease.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Surveys and Questionnaires
/
Internationality
/
Epilepsy
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Epilepsy Behav
Journal subject:
Behavioral Sciences
/
Neurology
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.yebeh.2021.107800
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS