Increased risk of hospital admission for ICD-9-CM psychotic episodes following admission for epilepsy

Epilepsy and psychosis

Psychotic disorders are eight times more frequent in epilepsy than in the general population. The various clinical syndromes are classified according to their chronology of onset in relation to epileptic seizures: ictal psychoses (during epileptic discharge), post-ictal psychoses (PIP, after a seizure), interictal psychoses (IIP, with no chronological link) and those related to complete seizure control. Antiepileptic drugs can cause psychotic disorders in all these situations. Post-ictal psychoses (PIP) are affective psychoses that occur after a lucid interval lasting 12 to 120hours following a cluster of seizures. They last an average of 10days, with an abrupt beginning and end. PIP are directly linked to epileptic seizures, and disappear when the epilepsy is controlled. Interictal psychoses are schizophrenias. The management of psychotic disorders in epilepsy is neuropsychiatric, and requires close collaboration between epileptologists and psychiatrists. Antipsychotics can be prescribed in persons with epilepsy. Even today, psychotic disorders in epilepsy are poorly understood, under-diagnosed and under-treated.

Factors associated with acute care service use after epilepsy hospitalisation in people with intellectual disability

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to identify factors associated with unplanned acute hospital readmission and emergency department (ED) presentation after hospitalisation for epilepsy in people with intellectual disability (ID).

METHODS

This study is a retrospective cohort study using linked administrative datasets. We identified 3293 people with ID aged 5-64 years with a hospitalisation for epilepsy between 2005 and 2014 in New South Wales, Australia. We examined unplanned readmission and ED presentation within 30 or 365 days and associations with demographic, socio-economic and health status variables. Modified Poisson regression with robust estimation was used to model outcomes within 30 days. Negative binomial regression was used to account for the overdispersion of the data and to model 365-day outcome rates.

RESULTS

Around half of the cohort had an unplanned readmission and ED presentation within 365 days of the index hospitalisation. In fully adjusted models, being female, being a young adult and having a longer or acute care index admission, mental and physical comorbidities and a history of incarceration were associated with an elevated risk of readmission or ED presentation. The strongest association was observed between history of self-harm and 365-day readmission (incidence rate ratio 2.15, 95% confidence interval 1.41-3.29).

CONCLUSIONS

Socio-demographic, justice and health factors are associated with unplanned readmission and ED presentation risk after hospitalisation for epilepsy in people with ID. Interventions targeting improving continuity of care should be tailored for individuals and their support workers. The findings also emphasise the importance of person-centred multidisciplinary care across different health sectors.

Diagnostic progression to schizophrenia: A nationwide cohort study of 11 170 adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder

AIMS

Previous studies have suggested an increased risk of developing schizophrenia later in life in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aims to investigate the diagnosis stability and the potential predictors for progression to schizophrenia in ASD.

METHODS

We recruited 11 170 adolescents (10-19 years) and young adults (20-29 years) with ASD between 2001 and 2010. They were followed up to the end of 2011 to identify newly diagnosed schizophrenia. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression with age as a time scale were employed to estimate incidence rates and the significance of candidate predictors.

RESULTS

The progression rate from ASD to schizophrenia was 10.26% for 10 years of follow-up. Among 860 progressors, 580 (67.44%) occurred within the first 3 years after a diagnosis of ASD. The identified predictors were age (reported as hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval: 1.13; 1.11-1.15), depressive disorder (1.36; 1.09-1.69), alcohol use disorder (3.05; 2.14-4.35), substance use disorder (1.91; 1.18-3.09), cluster A personality disorder (2.95; 1.79-4.84), cluster B personality disorder (1.86; 1.05-3.28), and a family history of schizophrenia (2.12; 1.65-2.74).

CONCLUSION

More than two-thirds of the progressors developed schizophrenia within the first 3 years. Demographic characteristics, physical and psychiatric comorbidities, and psychiatric family history were significant predictors of progression.

Readmission and emergency department presentation after hospitalisation for epilepsy in people with intellectual disability: A data linkage study

Background

Despite the high prevalence of epilepsy and multiple barriers to care in people with intellectual disability, the risk of returning to hospital after an admission for epilepsy is largely unknown. In this study, we sought to quantify and compare readmission and emergency department (ED) presentations after hospitalisation for epilepsy in people with and without intellectual disability.

Methods and findings

Using linked administrative datasets, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of people aged 5–64 years with an acute hospitalisation for epilepsy from 2005–2014 in New South Wales, Australia. Acute readmission and ED presentation rates within 30, 90, and 365 days of the index hospitalisation were estimated and compared between people with and without intellectual disability using modified Poisson regression. Of 13537 individuals with an index hospitalisation, 712 children and 1862 adults had intellectual disability. Readmission and ED presentation after the index hospitalisation were common in people with intellectual disability. Within 30 days, 11% of children and 15.6% of adults had an all-cause readmission and 18% of children and 23.5% of adults had an ED presentation. Over 60% of both children and adults presented to an ED within a year. Neurological, respiratory, and infectious conditions were overrepresented reasons for readmission in people with intellectual disability. Age-adjusted relative risks (RRs) within each period showed a higher risk of readmission and ED presentation in children and adults with intellectual disability than without. Most RRs remained statistically significant after controlling for covariates. The largest adjusted RRs were observed for readmission for epilepsy (RR 1.70, 95% CI: 1.42 to 2.04) and non-epilepsy related conditions (RR 1.73, 95%: CI 1.43 to 2.10) in children. Study limitations include lack of clinical data.

Conclusions

Increased risk of returning to acute care after epilepsy hospitalisation suggests there is a need to improve epilepsy care for people with intellectual disability. We recommend research into strategies to improve management of both seizures and comorbidity.

Diagnostic progression to schizophrenia in 35,255 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a longitudinal follow-up study

Evidence suggests a continuity between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia. However, the factors that may predict diagnostic progression from OCD to schizophrenia remain unclear. A total of 35,255 adolescents and adults with OCD (ICD-9-CM code: 300.3) were enrolled between 2001 and 2010 and followed up at the end of 2011 for the identification of de novo schizophrenia (ICD-9-CM code: 295). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate incidence rates, and the Cox regression was used to determine the significance of candidate predictors. At the end of the 11-year follow-up period, the crude cumulative progression rate from OCD to schizophrenia was 6%, and the estimated progression rate totaled 7.80%. Male sex (hazard ratio: 1.23), obesity (1.77), autism spectrum disorder (1.69), bipolar disorder (1.69), posttraumatic stress disorder (1.65), cluster A personality disorder (2.50), and a family history of schizophrenia (2.57) also were related to an elevated likelihood of subsequent progression to schizophrenia in patients with OCD. Further study is necessary to elucidate the exact pathomechanisms underlying diagnostic progression to schizophrenia in patients with OCD.

Readmission for cardiac and non-cardiac causes among adults with epilepsy or multiple sclerosis - A nationwide analysis

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine proportions of 30-day cardiac readmissions in adults with epilepsy compared to multiple sclerosis (MS) or those with neither condition. Predictors and causes of readmissions were also examined.

METHODS

We used the 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database and ICD-9-CM codes to identify people with epilepsy, MS, and without epilepsy or MS. Multinomial logistic regressions were fitted to: (1) examine association between 30-day readmissions and epilepsy, MS or neither, and (2) to describe causes and predictors of 30-day readmission for cardiac readmissions in epilepsy.

RESULTS

Out of 6,870,508 adults admitted in 2014, 202,938 (2.98%) had epilepsy and 29,556 (0.45%) had MS. The proportion of 30-day readmission for epilepsy and MS were, respectively: (1) due to cardiac causes (0.17% vs. 0.13%); (2) due to other causes (13.89% vs. 10.61%). The odds of 30-day cardiac readmission in those with epilepsy and MS were lower compared to those without either condition (OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.57-0.73, p < 0.0001; OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.43-0.84, p = 0.003). Among those with epilepsy, increasing age (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.04, p < 0.0001) and a Charlson comorbidity index ≥1 (OR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.24-2.60, p = 0.002) were associated with higher odds of 30-day cardiac readmission. A higher proportion of those with epilepsy readmitted within 30-days due to cardiac causes died in hospital (10.09%) compared to those with MS (not reportable due to cell frequency <10) or without epilepsy or MS (5.61%).

CONCLUSION

Those admitted to a hospital and living with epilepsy had a higher proportion of cardiac readmissions and death in hospital when compared to those living with MS, and the determinants are likely multifactorial. These findings are important and need to be further explored to identify strategies to prevent readmissions due to any cause and treatments that could reduce mortality.

Living beyond the limitation: Rehabilitation, life and productivity of individuals with schizophrenia in South-West Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

Schizophrenia, the most chronic and stigmatized form of mental illness, can be described as a brain disorder that affects an individual's cognition. Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit socially unacceptable symptoms that affect their psychosocial lives. They suffer from reduced productivity due to the debilitating effect of the illness, and the negative symptoms impede their employability; such symptoms and effects aggravate the stigma around mental illness. However, when rehabilitation is successfully achieved, so is productivity, and this decreases the associated stigma. Thus, this study describes the rehabilitation experiences and productivity of individuals with schizophrenia in South-West Nigeria.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A descriptive qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was used to gather information from mental health service users. The discharged users in this study received in-hospital or outpatient rehabilitation care at four outpatient units within two specialist mental health-care facilities in South-West Nigeria. These facilities offer vocational training and rehabilitation services for individuals with schizophrenia. Twenty-nine mental health service users were interviewed. The data from the interviews were independently analysed by two researchers through a content analysis approach using NVIVO version 11. The researchers compared the results of the analysis and reached an agreement on the conclusion.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The rehabilitation services availed by patients in the research setting are of three types. Some attend occupational rehabilitation to learn a trade; they depend on professionals for the choice of skill but at a cost that is not affordable to many. Some stay in rehabilitation units linked to the hospital, rendering their services at a cost, and their living expenses and skill acquisition processes are based on the remuneration they get from the services rendered to the institution. Others depend on their family members' efforts to afford rehabilitation services but set up on job by family or employed in family business. The mental health service users in this study who offered their services to the institutions were able to make informed decisions and showed better performance with their chosen occupation than those who depended on their family or health professionals for the choice of rehabilitation service or vocational career. Therefore, this study concludes that prioritizing mental health facility users' preferences in terms of productive activities (sales, services, vocation) or rehabilitation goals should be encouraged.

Psychiatric comorbidities, sexual health and neurodevelopmental outcomes of offspring in men with epilepsy

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of data in the literature specific to men with epilepsy on anti-seizure medication (ASM). The current study investigated the time to conception as well as the gestational and the neurodevelopmental outcomes of offspring of men with epilepsy on ASM compared to controls. Additionally, the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities, and measures of sexual performance in males with and without epilepsy were analyzed.

METHODS

A total of 450 male patients with and without epilepsy at one hospital were provided questionnaires to determine demographic characteristics, epilepsy history, type of ASM at the time of conception, comorbidities and sexual health. Time to conception, fertility methods and offspring birth and developmental history born to males with and without epilepsy was recorded. Survey data was evaluated using Student's t-test for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Odds ratio (OR) were calculated to determine associations between the measured data.

RESULTS

After matching for age, we analyzed a total of 110 males with epilepsy and 110 without epilepsy. In the epilepsy group there was a higher rate of psychiatric comorbidities such as major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and suicidal ideation when compared to the control group (N = 110; OR 3.39; 95% IC: 1.87-6.13, p < 0.001). Males with epilepsy also had a higher frequency of low erection scores when compared to males without epilepsy (N = 70 with epilepsy, N = 76 without epilepsy; OR 3.67; 95% IC: 1.44-9.39, p = 0.005). Of the 110 men with a diagnosis of epilepsy, 17 conceived children while using ASMs (38 total children). A total of 18.42% of children born to fathers on ASMs experienced developmental delays compared to 2.63% of controls, however this result was not statistically significant (p = 0.056). In addition, we did not find that offspring had significantly different birth weights or gestational ages in men on ASM compared to controls (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study suggests that men with epilepsy have an increased incidence of psychiatric comorbidities, and altered sexual performance, specifically erectile dysfunction, when compared with men without epilepsy. There was no statistically significant difference in the rates of developmental disorders and birth characteristics among those men with epilepsy on ASM at the time of conception and controls.

Pregnancy-related complications and risk of postpartum readmission for seizures and epilepsy: A national study

OBJECTIVE

Peripartum seizures remain a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, recognition of high-risk individuals is essential. We aimed to determine the rate and identify risk factors for postpartum seizure/epilepsy readmissions.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, the Nationwide Readmissions Database was used to identify index admissions for delivery and readmissions for seizures in the year 2013, defined by International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for epilepsy, convulsions, and eclampsia in the primary diagnostic position. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine 30-day readmission for seizures as well as associations between demographic, medical, psychiatric, and pregnancy-related factors.

RESULTS

There were 1 633 714 index admissions for delivery, with a 30-day readmission rate for seizures/epilepsy of 19.69 per 100 000 index admissions. The mean age of index participants was 28.6 years (SD = 5.8). Postpartum 30-day readmissions for eclampsia represented 80% of seizure/epilepsy readmissions. Higher income was associated with lower odds of seizure/epilepsy readmission (odds ratio [OR] = 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.34-0.72, P = .03) for the highest income group. Eclampsia (OR = 19.9, 95% CI = 9.38-42.2, P < .001), preexisting epilepsy (OR = 10.63, 95% CI = 6.43-17.56, P < .001), pre-eclampsia (OR = 3.23, 95% CI = 2.31-4.51, P < .001), and gestational hypertension (OR = 2.78, 95% CI = 1.94-3.98, P < .001) were associated with readmission for seizures.

SIGNIFICANCE

Readmissions for seizures are fortunately rare, but are important to minimize given morbidity and mortality. Most seizure readmissions occurring within 30 days postpartum were coded as eclampsia rather than convulsions or pre-existing epilepsy. These findings suggest that early identification of women with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia may play a role in the prevention of postpartum seizures. Women with these risk factors should be identified to optimize care and monitored closely for seizure-associated complications.

[Interictal psychosis of epilepsy]

Interictal psychosis (IIP) refers to psychosis that occurs in clear consciousness in persons with epilepsy (PWE) with temporal onset not during or immediately following a seizure. The pooled prevalence estimate of psychosis in PWE is 5.6%. PWE and schizophrenia have very high mortality, and more than one in four persons with both disorders die between the age of 25 and 50years. IIP can manifest in brief or chronic forms. The chronic forms of IIP may closely resemble schizophrenia. However, some authors have described the typical presence of persecutory and religious delusions, sudden mood swings and the preservation of affect, as well as rarity of negative symptoms and catatonic states, but these differences remain controversial. Typically, IIP starts after many years of active temporal lobe epilepsy. Several epilepsy-related variables are considered pathogenically relevant in IIP including epilepsy type and seizure characteristics. Risk factors for developing IIP are family history of psychosis, learning disability, early age of onset of epilepsy, unilateral or bilateral hippocampal sclerosis, history of status epilepticus, history of febrile seizures, and poorly controlled temporal lobe epilepsy. In patients with epilepsy and psychosis, structural imaging studies have shown several relevant changes leading to conflicting findings. Altered neuronal plasticity and excitability have been described in epilepsy and psychotic disorders. Neuropathological data suggest that IIP are not the result of classic epileptic pathology of the temporal lobe. Forced normalization (FN) and alternating psychosis refer to patients with poorly controlled epilepsy (focal or generalized) who have had psychotic episodes associated with remission of their seizures and disappearance of epileptiform activity on their EEGs. FN mainly occurs in temporal lobe epilepsy when patients have frequent seizures that are abruptly terminated triggered by an antiepileptic drug, vagus nerve stimulation or epilepsy surgery. Treatment is based on withdrawal of the responsible drug, and by transient use of antipsychotics for acute symptomatic control on a case-by-case basis. FN is an entity whose pathophysiology remains uncertain. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may sometimes induce psychotic symptoms and psychosis could be a direct effect of the AEDs. IIP has been reported more frequently following the initiation of zonisamide, topiramate, and levetiracetam when compared with other antiepileptic drugs. However, AEDs do not appear to be the only determinant of IIP. The management of IIP requires a multidisciplinary approach with early involvement of a liaison psychiatrist associated with a neurologist. IIP are underdiagnosed and mistreated. Existing recommendations are extrapolated from those established for the treatment of schizophrenia with some additional guidance from expert opinions. A two-step procedure, not necessarily consecutive, is suggested. The first step requires reevaluation of the antiepileptic treatment. The second step requires initiation of atypical neuroleptics. Antipsychotic drugs should be selected with consideration of the balance between pharmacological profiles, efficacy, and adverse effects. Regarding pharmacokinetic interactions, AEDs with inducing properties reduce the blood levels of all antipsychotics. It is important to consider implications of combining neuroleptics and AEDs with a similar spectrum of side effects. Regarding the duration of treatment, IIP episodes are more likely to be recurrent than in primary schizophrenia. In practice, atypical neuroleptics with few motor side effects such as risperidone can be used as first choice, given the low propensity for drug-drug interactions and the low seizure risk, with the added suggestion to start low and go slow. Clozapine could be prescribed in selected cases.

Testing the Reality of Psychosis and Mood in Epilepsy

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