Etiology and Weekly Occurrence of Alcohol-related Seizures (original) (raw)
Related papers
Alcohol-related seizures, part I: Pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, and evaluation
The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 1993
Alcoholism may be society's most devastating problem short of war and malnutrition. Perhaps the most complex and perplexing medical complication of alcoholism is alcohol-related seizures. This article is a collective review designed to provide emergency physicians with an overview of the topic that is pertinent to their clinical practice. Part 1 addresses the pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, and evaluation of alcohol-related seizures. Part 2 will concentrate on the clinical presentation, management, and disposition. In addition, a classification of alcohol-related seizures will be proposed.
Clinical Characteristics as Predictors of Recurrent Alcohol-related Seizures
Academic Emergency Medicine, 2000
Objective: To determine whether clinical data available in the emergency department can accurately predict a subset of patients at low risk of developing recurrent seizures following one or more initial alcohol-related seizures in the out-of-hospital arena. Methods: This was a retrospective secondary analysis of data obtained from the placebo arms of two prospective, randomized trials of drug treatments for the prevention of recurrent alcohol-related seizures. Subjects with and without one or more recurrent alcohol-related seizures during the study period were compared according to the following characteristics: 1) age, 2) gender, 3) daily ethanol consumption, 4) years of ethanol abuse, 5) previous alcohol-related seizure, 6) previous seizure of other etiology, 7) temperature, 8) heart rate, 9) systolic blood pressure, 10) diastolic blood pressure, 11) respiratory rate, and 12) ethanol level. Data were analyzed with t-tests and
Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Seizures in Patients With Epilepsy
Frontiers in Neurology
Purpose: This study aimed to assess alcohol consumption and the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures in patients with epilepsy within the last 12 months. Methods: In an epilepsy outpatient clinic, a standardized questionnaire was used to collect data retrospectively from consecutive adult epilepsy patients who had been suffering from the disease for at least 1 year. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors. Results: A total of 310 patients with epilepsy were included. Of these, 204 subjects (65.8%) consumed alcohol within the last 12 months. Independent predictors for alcohol use were antiepileptic drug monotherapy (OR 1.901) and physicians' advice that a light alcohol intake is harmless (OR 4.102). Seizure worsening related to alcohol consumption was reported by 37 of the 204 patients (18.1%) who had used alcohol. All 37 subjects had consumed large quantities of alcohol prior to the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures regardless of their usual alcohol-drinking behavior. The amount of alcohol intake prior to alcohol-related seizures was at least 7 standard drinks, which is equivalent to 1.4 L of beer or 0.7 L of wine. In 95% of cases, alcohol-related seizures occurred within 12 h after cessation of alcohol intake. Independent predictors for alcohol-related seizures were generalized genetic epilepsy (OR 5.792) and chronic heavier alcohol use (OR 8.955). Conclusions: Two-thirds of interviewed subjects had consumed alcohol within the last 12 months. This finding may be an underestimate due to patients' self-reporting and recall error. In all cases, the occurrence of alcohol related-seizures was associated with timely consumption of considerably large amounts of alcohol. Thus, a responsible alcohol intake seems to be safe for most patients with epilepsy. However, subjects with epilepsy and especially those with generalized genetic epilepsy should be made aware of an increased risk for seizures related to heavy alcohol consumption. Factors accompanying acute heavy alcohol intake such as altered sleep architecture, impaired adherence to antiepileptic medication, and metabolic disturbances may further facilitate the occurrence of seizures.
Alcohol Related Seizure A Hospital Based Study from North East India
Scholars Journal of Applied Medical Sciences
Original Research Article Alcohol is one of the leading causes of death and disability globally affecting both the central and peripheral nervous system. Alcohol related seizure is a common medical emergency in Neurology and Psychiatry department and is responsible for 20-30% of seizure admission. Materials and Method: A prospective study carried in a referral centre in North East India for duration of one year. Seizure patients who fulfil the definition of alcohol related seizure were included. Routine blood work, an electroencephalogram (EEG) and a required neuro imaging was done. Patient's data were collected and analyse. Results: Thirty-four male patients were included with mean age of presentation was 40.79 ± 11.85 years. The mean duration of alcohol intake was 12.82 ± 8.48 years with a range of 3-40 years. The gap between last binge of alcohol and onset of seizure was <24 hours in 10 patients (29.4%); 24-48 hours in 18 patients (52.9) an >48 hours in 6 patients (17.6%). The mean Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score was 22.8 ± 6.97 and mean Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA) score was 16.47 ± 7.9. The mean MMSE score in all alcohol related seizure cases was 26 ± 2.0 and was found to be inversely correlated with duration of alcohol intake (Pearson's coefficient =-0.29).Focal epileptiform changes in EEG was seen in two patients (5.8%), generalized spike and wave seen in one patient (2.9%) and generalized theta slowing seen in 9 patients (26.4%). Presence of an abnormal EEG, a positive past history of seizure related to alcohol and an AUDIT score >20 is significantly associated with recurrence of seizure. Conclusion: Alcohol related seizure can reoccur; Presence of abnormal EEG, past history of similar illness an AUDIT scores of >20 can predict recurrent seizure in these patients.
The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2006
e Keywords-seizures; alcohol-related seizures; alcohol withdrawal seizures; alcohol-related problems Clinical Communications (Adults) is coordinated by Ron Walls, MD,
A case-control study on alcohol and seizures: study design, protocol, and data collection
Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 1997
We designed a multicenter case control study to evaluate whether chronic alcoholism and alcohol consumption are risk factors for developing a first generalized tonic-clonic epileptic seizure. Cases were 278 patients (92 women, 186 men), with a first generalized tonic-clonic seizure (either idiopathic or symptomatic), matched to 556 controls for center, sex, age, and weekday of the seizure. Information on risk
Alcohol Abuse and Seizures: an Overview of Clinical Notions and Pathogenetic Theories
Clinical and experimental neurology, 2014
Alcohol abuse is a major causative factor of different neurological disorders, among which seizures and epilepsy have an important burden of disease. Through discussing different pathogenetic mechanisms, scholars have tried to define and describe the diversity of clinical pictures and occurrences that might elicit a convulsive disorder in the alcoholics. An overview of the history of the diagnostic and classificatory attempts is made in the present paper, and distinctions between acute intoxication and withdrawal syndromes are summarized. The influences of ethanol on the cellular level and on the synaptic processes are succinctly mentioned. The authors are focused predominantly in three particularities of the alcohol-related seizures, namely the so-called alcoholic epilepsy, withdrawal seizures, and subacute encephalopathy with seizures in chronic alcoholism (SESA syndrome). Several sources are quoted, and the paper contains a brief overview on the efficacy of benzodiazepines and other antiepileptic drugs in the treatment of this variety of clinical events.
Chronic alcohol use and first symptomatic epileptic seizures
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 2002
Objective: To establish whether chronic alcoholism and alcohol consumption are risk factors for developing a first symptomatic epileptic seizure. Methods: Multicentre case-control study of 293 patients (160 men, 133 women) with a first seizure symptomatic (either acute or remote) of head trauma, stroke, or brain tumour, matched to 444 hospital controls for centre, sex, age (±5 years), and underlying pathology. Results: The risk of first seizure in alcoholics was no higher than in non-alcoholics for men (odds ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 0.4 to 3.2) or women (1.5, 0.1 to 54.4). The odds ratio (both sexes) was 1.2 (0.8 to 1.7) for an average intake of absolute alcohol of 1-25 g/day, 0.9 (0.5 to 1.5) for 26-50 g/day, 1.6 (0.8 to 3.0) for 51-100 g/day, and 1.4 (0.5 to 3.5) for >100 g/day. Conclusions: We found no evidence of an association between alcohol use or alcoholism and a first symptomatic seizure.
Epilepsia, 2010
Purpose: The purpose of this research was to analyze and quantify the association between alcohol consumption and epilepsy as an independent disease, in part operationalized by the occurrence of unprovoked seizures, as well as to examine causality.Methods: Systematic review, meta-analysis.Results: A strong and consistent association between alcohol consumption and epilepsy/unprovoked seizures was found with an overall relative risk (RR) of 2.19 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.83–2.63]. There was a dose–response relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed daily and the probability of the onset of epilepsy. Individuals consuming an average of four, six, and eight drinks daily had RRs of 1.81 (95% CI 1.59–2.07), 2.44 (95% CI 2.00–2.97), and 3.27 (95% CI 2.52–4.26), respectively, compared to nondrinkers. Several pathogenic mechanisms for the development of epilepsy in alcohol users were identified. Most of the relevant studies found that a high percentage of alcohol users with epilepsy would qualify for the criteria of alcohol dependence. Data were inconclusive regarding a threshold for the effect of alcohol, but most studies suggest that the effect may only hold for heavy drinking (four and more drinks daily).Discussion: The relationship between alcohol consumption and epilepsy and unprovoked seizures was quantified and several pathogenic mechanisms were suggested, although none of them has been proven to be the unique causative pathway for epilepsy. Certain limitations underlying this study require further research to clarify the outstanding statistical issues and pathogenesis of epilepsy in heavy drinkers.
2020
Citation: Martyna Jauniškytė., et al. “Profile of Patients Presenting with Acute Seizures: Is Alcohol-Related Seizures a Big Problem in Lithuania?”. EC Neurology 12.10 (2020): 122-130. Abstract Martyna Jauniškytė1*, Unė Jokimaitytė1,3, Gabija Laubner2, Lina Radevičiūtė2 and Robertas Badaras2 1Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania 2Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, Centre of Toxicology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania 3Department of Neurology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania *Corresponding Author: Martyna Jauniškytė, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.