Interaction between COVID-19 and epilepsy during the omicron surge: A cross-sectional survey conducted in China tertiary hospital

OBJECTIVE: It is unclear whether patients with epilepsy are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, whether they experience more severe manifestations of COVID-19, and whether seizures worsen after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study aims to explore these points and provide comprehensive and practical guidance for patients with epilepsy. METHODS: We designed a questionnaire to collect variables from epilepsy patients. We used the Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, or Mann-Whitney U test to analyze differences between the two groups. Multiple logistic regressions were employed to determine the risk factors for relevant outcome variables. RESULTS: We identified a total of 181 patients, with 74% (n = 134) reporting COVID-19. The patients' educational level was found to be a risk factor for COVID-19 (OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.14–0.80, P = 0.013). When comparing seizure frequency changes between epilepsy patients with and without COVID-19, no statistically significant difference was observed (P > 0.05). However, an increase in seizure frequency was significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety (P < 0.001) and depression (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: The risk of COVID-19 infection may be increased in patients with epilepsy. COVID-19 infection does not seem to worsen seizures in epilepsy patients. Patients with epilepsy rarely develop more severe clinical manifestations of COVID-19 after SARS-CoV-2 infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with epilepsy who also suffer from anxiety and depression may experience an increase in the frequency of their seizures.