Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric patients with epilepsy in Jordan: The caregiver perspective

OBJECTIVES: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted care systems around the world. We assessed the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the care of pediatric patients with epilepsy in Jordan. Potential predictors for seizure control during COVID-19 outbreaks were investigated. METHODS: A cross- sectional survey was conducted on pediatric patients with epilepsy in Jordan, between January and February 2021, via online questionnaires. The collected data included demographic information, epilepsy-related characteristics, views of caregivers and changes in seizure control during COVID-19 outbreak. RESULTS: A total number of 672 subjects were screened, 276 were eligible, and 154 completed the questionnaire adequately. Two thirds of caregivers (66.2%) reported that the COVID -19 outbreaks prevented their child from getting proper epilepsy care and 28.6% reported difficulty giving the drugs to their child on time because of loss of daily routine. In addition, more than half (55.8%) reported difficulty obtaining antiseizure medicines (ASMs). On the other hand, 77.3% of caregivers reported that seizure status remained unchanged or improved for their children during the COVID-19 and 22.7% reported worsened seizure control. The number of antiseizure medicines taken by patients (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.032), residency area (p = 0.013) and the difficulty in giving the medicine during COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.002) were the major factors influencing the seizure worsening experienced by patients. CONCLUSION: Almost one of every five patients reported worsened seizure control during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Jordan. Moreover, two thirds of caregivers reported poor epilepsy care. This finding highlights the need to implement organized and efficient telemedicine programs devoted to epilepsy care.