An international study of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on characteristics of functional seizures.
Epilepsy Behav
; 127: 108530, 2022 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1586246
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
We investigated whether the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the clinical characteristics of patients with functional seizure (FS) (at the time of diagnosis) in a large multicenter international study.METHODS:
This was a retrospective study. We investigated all patients with FS, who were admitted at the epilepsy monitoring units at six centers in the world 1. Shiraz, Iran; 2. Salzburg, Austria; 3. Nancy, France; 4. Atlanta, USA; 5. Kuwait City, Kuwait; and 6. Cairo, Egypt. Patients were studied during two time periods admitted in 2018-2019 (pre-COVID era) and 2020-2021 (COVID era).RESULTS:
Three hundred and twenty-six patients were studied. Two hundred and twenty-four (68.7%) patients were diagnosed before and 102 (31.3%) persons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only, a history of family dysfunction was significantly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic era (Odds Ratio 1.925, 95% Confidence Interval 1.099-3.371; pâ¯=â¯0.022). A low level of education might also be associated with FS during the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in some cultures (e.g., the Middle-East).CONCLUSION:
The COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the clinical characteristics of patients with FS (at the time of diagnosis). However, a history of family dysfunction was significantly more frequently associated with FS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiagency integration of law enforcement responses, social services, and social awareness is recommended to address family dysfunction and domestic violence and support the victims during this pandemic.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pandemics
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Epilepsy Behav
Journal subject:
Behavioral Sciences
/
Neurology
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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