Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with epilepsy: Findings from the Brazilian arm of the COV-E study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on people and healthcare services. The disruption to chronic illnesses, such as epilepsy, may relate to several factors ranging from direct infection to secondary effects from healthcare reorganization and social distancing measures.

OBJECTIVES

As part of the COVID-19 and Epilepsy (COV-E) global study, we ascertained the effects of COVID-19 on people with epilepsy in Brazil, based on their perspectives and those of their caregivers. We also evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on the care delivered to people with epilepsy by healthcare workers.

METHODS

We designed separate online surveys for people with epilepsy and their caregivers. A further survey for healthcare workers contained additional assessments of changes to working patterns, productivity, and concerns for those with epilepsy under their care. The Brazilian arm of COV-E initially collected data from May to November 2020 during the country's first wave. We also examined national data to identify the Brazilian states with the highest COVID-19 incidence and related mortality. Lastly, we applied this geographic grouping to our data to explore whether local disease burden played a direct role in difficulties faced by people with epilepsy.

RESULTS

Two hundred and forty-one people returned the survey, 20% were individuals with epilepsy (n = 48); 22% were caregivers (n = 53), and 58% were healthcare workers (n = 140). Just under half (43%) of people with epilepsy reported health changes during the pandemic, including worsening seizure control, with specific issues related to stress and impaired mental health. Of respondents prescribed antiseizure medication, 11% reported difficulty taking medication on time due to problems acquiring prescriptions and delayed or canceled medical appointments. Only a small proportion of respondents reported discussing significant epilepsy-related risks in the previous 12 months. Analysis of national COVID-19 data showed a higher disease burden in the states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro compared to Brazil as a whole. There were, however, no geographic differences observed in survey responses despite variability in the incidence of COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that Brazilians with epilepsy have been adversely affected by COVID-19 by factors beyond infection or mortality. Mental health issues and the importance of optimal communication are critical during these difficult times. Healthcare services need to find nuanced approaches and learn from shared international experiences to provide optimal care for people with epilepsy as the direct burden of COVID-19 improves in some countries. In contrast, others face resurgent waves of the pandemic.

Translation of social and occupational functioning scale for epilepsy into Portuguese - Brazil

Epilepsy has important consequences on functionality and social activities. There are few evaluation tools for this purpose. This study aimed to translate the Social and Occupational Functioning Scale for Epilepsy. It is a translation study, for which Beaton et al's. guidelines were used. Sixty patients over 18 years of age, with a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy, were evaluated. The analysis of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) showed values between 0.55 and 0.72 associated with the original dimensions of the instrument, while the five dimensions identified by the results of an exploratory factor analysis showed values between 0.60 and 0.68, with different grouping of the structures of the original scale. Respondents had no difficulty answering the translated version of the Social and Occupational Functioning Scale for Epilepsy, but the statistics show the need for cultural adaptation to the Brazilian population.

Anterior temporal lobectomy versus selective amygdalohippocampectomy in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

ABSTRACT Objective To contribute our experience with surgical treatment of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) undergoing anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) or selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SelAH). Method This is a retrospective observational study. The sample included patients with medically refractory mTLE due to unilateral mesial temporal sclerosis who underwent either ATL or SelAH, at Hospital de Clinicas – UFPR, from 2005 to 2012. We report seizure outcomes, using Engel classification, cognitive outcomes, using measurements of verbal and visuospatial memories, as well as operative complications. Result Sixty-seven patients (33 ATL, 34 SelAH) were studied; median follow-up was 64 months. There was no statistically significant difference in seizure or neuropsychological outcomes, although verbal memory was more negatively affected in ATL operations on patients’ dominant hemispheres. Higher number of major complications was observed in the ATL group (p = 0.004). Conclusion Seizure and neuropsychological outcomes did not differ. ATL appeared to be associated with higher risk of complications.

Vagus nerve stimulator in patients with epilepsy: indications and recommendations for use

Epilepsy comprises a set of neurologic and systemic disorders characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures, and is the most frequent chronic neurologic disorder. In patients with medically refractory epilepsy, therapeutic options are limited to ablative brain surgery, trials of experimental antiepileptic drugs, or palliative surgery. Vagal nerve stimulation is an available palliative procedure of which the mechanism of action is not understood, but with established efficacy for medically refractory epilepsy and low incidence of side-effects. In this paper we discuss the recommendations for VNS use as suggested by the Brazilian League of Epilepsy and the Scientific Department of Epilepsy of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology Committee of Neuromodulation.

Clinical features of Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures (PNES): analysis of a Brazilian series

RATIONALE: An estimate of 3 million people present with the diagnosis of epilepsy in Brazil. Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures (PNES) are likely to occur in up to 2-33/100.000 people. Paradoxically, very few papers address this significant condition in the Brazilian literature. We describe a Brazilian PNES population and provide a review of the literature. METHODS: we reviewed the clinical history, vídeo-electroencephalographic (VEEG) data, psychiatric diagnosis and prognosis in a series of 45 PNES patients, with emphasis on the demographics, as well as, PNES major clinical presentations and classification. RESULTS: PNES represent 5.2% of the patients referred to the VEEG monitoring at our institution; patients were mostly young with a mean age of 27y/o and a clear predominance of the female gender (78%); the majority of PNES last between 1-5 minutes, but duration was highly variable; 28/45 patients were referred due to "intractable epilepsy" and 14/28 had MR defined mesial temporal sclerosis; about a third of the patients present with the classically described PNES clinical presentation; conversive and dissociative seizures prevail on PNES classification (80%). CONCLUSIONS: clinical and VEEG data on this Brazilian population matches descriptions coming from other series, suggesting potential cross-cultural similarities in the clinical expression of this condition.