Clinical presentation of anxiety among patients with epilepsy

Original Research

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Authors: M López-Gómez, M Espinola, J Ramirez-Bermudez, I E Martinez-Juarez, A L Sosa

Published Date September 2008 Volume 2008:4(6) Pages 1235 - 1239

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S3990

M López-Gómez¹, M Espinola², J Ramirez-Bermudez³, I E Martinez-Juarez⁴, A L Sosa⁵

¹Departments of Neurology; ²Neuropsychiatry; ³Clinical Research; ⁴Epilepsy, and ⁵Cognition and Behavior, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Mexico, Delegación Tlalpan, México

Abstract: Different factors have been related with interictal anxiety, reported in 10%–25% of patients with epilepsy. We determined the frequency of interictal anxiety in 196 patients with active epilepsy in a cross-sectional survey to know which symptoms of anxiety were most frequently reported in patients with epilepsy and to analyze the factors associated with their presence. Patients were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Data were analyzed with a logistic regression model. The HAMA ratings revealed that 38.8% experienced significant anxiety symptoms, as defined by a rating above 18 points. Use of primidone, depression, cryptogenic, and posttraumatic etiologies significantly predicted anxiety after logistic regression. Symptoms related to higher scores on HAMA were anxious mood, tension, insomnia, intellectual function, depressed mood, cardiovascular and genitourinary symptoms. Further studies should be performed to define the role of psychosocial factors in the development and evolution of anxiety among these patients.

Keywords: epilepsy, anxiety, depression, neuropsychiatry