Validation of diagnostic tests for depressive disorder in drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression subscale (HADS-D) as diagnostic tests for depressive disorder in drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS). METHODS: One hundred three patients with drug-resistant MTLE-HS were enrolled. All patients underwent a neurological examination, interictal and ictal video-electroencephalogram (V-EEG) analyses, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Psychiatric interviews were based on DSM-IV-TR criteria and ILAE Commission of Psychobiology classification as a gold standard; HRSD, BDI, HADS, and HADS-D were used as psychometric diagnostic tests, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal threshold scores. RESULTS: For all the scales, the areas under the curve (AUCs) were approximately 0.8, and they were able to identify depression in this sample. A threshold of ≥9 on the HRSD and a threshold of ≥8 on the HADS-D showed a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 80%. A threshold of ≥19 on the BDI and HADS-D total showed a sensitivity of 55% and a specificity of approximately 90%. The instruments showed a negative predictive value of approximately 87% and a positive predictive value of approximately 65% for the BDI and HADS total and approximately 60% for the HRSD and HADS-D. CONCLUSIONS: HRSD≥9 and HADS-D≥8 had the best balance between sensitivity (approximately 70%) and specificity (approximately 80%). However, with these thresholds, these diagnostic tests do not appear useful in identifying depressive disorder in this population with epilepsy, and their specificity (approximately 80%) and PPV (approximately 55%) were lower than those of the other scales. We believe that the BDI and HADS total are valid diagnostic tests for depressive disorder in patients with MTLE-HS, as both scales showed acceptable (though not high) specificity and PPV for this type of study.

Excessive sleepiness and sleep patterns in patients with epilepsy: a case-control study.

The aim of this study was to assess excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), sleep quality, and sleep disorders in a cohort of patients with epilepsy in the city of Florianopolis in southern Brazil. One hundred and forty patients diagnosed with epilepsy were assessed by questionnaires that included demographic and clinical variables, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS), and the Fletcher & Luckett Adapted Questionnaire (FLAQ). These data were then compared to data from a control group (n=85). Compared to controls, patients with epilepsy (PWE) had significantly higher scores on the ESS (p=0.003), higher scores on the "daytime dysfunction" domain of the PSQI (p=0.002), and more symptoms that suggested obstructive sleep apnea in the FLAQ (p<0.001). By performing multiple linear regression models, we demonstrated that age, male gender, the presence of secondarily generalized seizures, and phenobarbital use were slightly to moderately correlated with PSQI (r=0.38) and FLAQ (r=0.51) but not with SSS scores. We concluded that PWE had more EDS, daytime dysfunction, and sleep disorders compared to a control group.

Predictors of quality of life in patients with refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

PURPOSE: The identification of variables associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy related to hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS) would improve surgical decision-making and post-operatory follow-up in this group of patients. METHODS: We analyzed the independent association between the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31 (QOLIE-31) of 81 consecutive patients with refractory MTLE-HS. The clinical, demographic, radiological and electrophysiological variables were analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. KEY FINDINGS: Approximately 36% (adjusted R(2)=0.36; R coefficient=0.66) of the QOLIE-31 overall score variance was explained by the history of initial precipitant injury, family history of epilepsy, disease duration, age of epilepsy onset, seizure frequency and presence of psychiatric axis-II diagnosis. The variance of QOLIE-31 sub-scales was: seizure worry=7%; overall QOL=11%; emotional well-being=32%; energy/fatigue=38%; cognitive function=13%; medication effects=7%; social function=13% (R coefficient between 0.30 and 0.65). SIGNIFICANCE: The pre-surgical variables studied had relatively low prediction capacity for the overall QOLIE-31 score and its sub-scales in this set of Brazilian patients with refractory MTLE-HS.

Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of Brazilian patients with epilepsy who drive and their association with traffic accidents.

PURPOSE: To identify variables associated with driving in patients with epilepsy and their association with traffic accidents. METHODS: Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent association between demographic and clinical variables and driving in 144 outpatients with epilepsy. Traffic accidents caused by seizures were also analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients (47.2%) drove after the diagnosis of epilepsy. Among these patients, 67.6% drove in the last 12 months, 89% of whom did so in spite of uncontrolled seizures. Driving was independently associated with male sex, higher income, occurrence of simple partial seizures, age at epilepsy onset over 18 years and monotherapy treatment. Seventeen patients (only male) had accidents due to seizures, which were independently associated with lower education and age at epilepsy onset over 18 years. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of variables associated with driving and traffic accidents may help to minimize risks and improve the quality of life of patients with epilepsy.

Cross-cultural translation of the INSPIRIT-R for Brazil and its applicability among epilepsy patients.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the cross-cultural adaptation of the INSPIRIT-R instrument for evaluation of religious and spiritual experiences into a Brazilian Portuguese version and its applicability among epileptic patients. METHOD: After the translation and back-translation phases, a multidisciplinary committee compared the back-translation with the original text in order to evaluate its content, comprehensibility, conceptual equivalence, cultural and contextual adjustment for Brazilian population. Lastly, the final version was tested on 50 long-term followed-up outpatients with a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy in Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 33.7 years (18-55) and 26 (52%) were women. They had attended school for a mean of 8.0 years (3-17) years. Most of them (80%) were Catholics and 82% had a confirmed diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. In the final Portuguese version, questions 3, 7C and 7E required slight modifications, along with the layout of question 7. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the INSPIRIT-R instrument was easily understood by most of the patients, after minimal modifications.