Are patients with Parkinson's disease at a lower risk of catching the common cold? Propensity score matching

Presenteeism in people with previous and current epilepsy: Determinants and psychosocial associations

OBJECTIVE

We examined people with epilepsy (PWE) regarding presenteeism, an aspect of reduced work productivity due to health-related issues despite physical presence, with a focus on epilepsy treatment and psychosocial factors.

METHODS

We used data from 32,000 participants aged 16-83 years old that were obtained through a 2024 nationwide internet survey. The Work Functioning Impairment Scale, which measures "presenteeism," was used to compare participants with and without a history of epilepsy. Odds ratios for presenteeism were calculated using univariable and multivariable analyses with two models based on sociodemographic and health-related variables. Propensity score matching was applied to equate groups with and without epilepsy in health-related variables.

RESULTS

Among 29,268 participants with valid responses, those with current epilepsy (n = 351) and in remission (n = 429) exhibited significantly higher presenteeism (p < 0.0001) and psychological distress (p < 0.0001) versus participants without epilepsy (n = 28,488). Multivariable analysis confirmed current epilepsy was independently associated with higher presenteeism (odds ratio: 2.61; 95 % confidence interval: 2.05-3.33, p < 0.0001) in the sociodemographic model. After propensity score matching of 277 non-epilepsy and epilepsy participants, presenteeism remained significantly higher in current epilepsy patients versus those without (44.0 % vs. 28.2 %, p < 0.0001). When further adjusted for psychological disorders, the difference in presenteeism became negligible (46.2 % vs. 44.0 %, p = 0.716).

SIGNIFICANCE

This cross-sectional study confirms significant presenteeism in PWE, which persists even in remission cases. This suggests that multiple causal conditions, rather than epileptic activity itself, affect presenteeism. As the epilepsy effect on presenteeism substantially decreases when accounting for psychological disorders, addressing these disorders may promote social productivity in PWE.

Emergency medical service response for cases of stroke-suspected seizure: A population-based study

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the on-scene time of emergency medical services (EMS) for cases where discrimination between acute stroke and epileptic seizures at the initial examination was difficult and identified factors linked to delays in such scenarios.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of cases with suspected seizure using the EMS database of fire departments across six Japanese cities between 2016 and 2021 was conducted. Patient classification was based on transport codes. We defined cases with stroke-suspected seizure as those in whom epileptic seizure was difficult to differentiate from stroke and evaluated their EMS on-scene time compared to those with epileptic seizures.

RESULTS

Among 30,439 cases with any seizures, 292 cases of stroke-suspected seizure and 8,737 cases of epileptic seizure were included. EMS on-scene time in cases of stroke-suspected seizure was shorter than in those with epileptic seizure after propensity score matching (15.1±7.2 min vs. 17.0±9.0 min; p = 0.007). Factors associated with delays included transport during nighttime (odds ratio [OR], 1.73, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.02-2.93, p = 0.041) and transport during the 2020-2021 pandemic (OR, 1.77, 95 % CI 1.08-2.90, p = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted the difference between the characteristics in EMS for stroke and epileptic seizure by evaluating the response to cases with stroke-suspected seizure. Facilitating prompt and smooth transfers of such cases to an appropriate medical facility after admission could optimize the operation of specialized medical resources.