Psychiatric comorbidities of epilepsy and COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the status and influencing factors of psychiatric comorbidities of patients with epilepsy (PWEs) in Hubei province during the outbreak of COVID-19. Methods: From February 23, 2020 to March 5, 2020, a network questionnaire survey (including demographic characteristics, seizures, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 score, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score, Insomnia Severity Index score) was conducted among 570 PWEs who visited the Epilepsy Center of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology during April 1, 2019 and January 20, 2020. SPSS 22.0 software was used for correlation analysis of sociodemographic characteristics, epilepsy related factors, perceived threat to the COVID-19 and psychiatric comorbidity (depression, anxiety and insomnia) of PWEs during the COVID-19 epidemic. Results: A total of 362 valid questionnaires were included for analysis (the response rate was 63.51%,362/570). Thirty-four (9.4%), forty-seven (13.0%) and seventy-one (19.6%) patients suffered from anxiety, depression and insomnia, respectively. Patients with seizure frequency ≥2 times/month before the epidemic (OR=3.395,95%CI 1.561-7.384, P=0.002), poor subjective quality of life during the epidemic (OR=10.753,95%CI 1.938-59.654, P=0.024), and moderate to severe worry about bad impact of the epidemic on epilepsy (OR=3.077, 95%CI 1.382-6.853, P=0.006) were more likely to be anxious. Patients with poor subjective quality of life during the epidemic (OR=6.188, 95%CI 1.317-29.079, P=0.021) were more likely to be depressed. Patients with COVID-19 related symptoms (OR=3.609, 95%CI 1.674-7.778, P=0.001), children (OR=3.090, 95%CI 1.759-5.431, P<0.001), seizure frequency ≥2 times/month before the epidemic (OR=1.907, 95%CI 1.017-3.575, P=0.044), and moderate to severe worry about unanticipated seizures (OR=2.555, 95%CI 1.370-4.764, P=0.003) were more likely to suffer from insomnia. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 epidemic, parts of PWEs suffered from anxiety, depression and insomnia. PWEs with poor subjective quality of life, high frequency of epileptic seizures before the epidemic, excessive worry about bad impact of the epidemic on epilepsy and excessive worry about unanticipated seizures were prone to anxiety, depression and insomnia.