Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 1, 2025
Use of a Wireless Video-EEG System to Monitor Epileptiform Discharges Following Lateral Fluid-Percussion Induced Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: June 21, 2019
Perinatal adversities and risk of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury: A Danish nationwide cohort study
Kasper Lolk1,2,3, Julie W Dreier1,3, Yuelian Sun1,4,5
1Department of Economics and Business Economics, National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Insights
Perinatal adversities and traumatic brain injury (TBI) independently increase epilepsy risk. However, TBI
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and perinatal adversities are known epilepsy risk factors.
- Understanding their combined impact is crucial for prevention and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if perinatal adversities modify the risk of epilepsy following TBI.
- To analyze a large nationwide cohort for insights into TBI and epilepsy development.
Main Methods:
- A nationwide cohort study of Danish singletons born 1982-2011.
- Perinatal adversities were a composite measure (preterm delivery, low birth weight, low Apgar, small for gestational age).
- Cox and competing risk regression models estimated epilepsy risk post-TBI, stratified by perinatal adversities.
Main Results:
- Both perinatal adversities (HR 1.19) and TBI (HR 2.31) significantly increased epilepsy risk.
- The increased epilepsy risk associated with TBI was not significantly modified by the presence of perinatal adversities (p=0.2460).
Conclusions:
- Perinatal adversities and TBI are independent risk factors for epilepsy.
- The study found no evidence that perinatal adversities alter the epilepsy risk conferred by TBI.
Objectives:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and perinatal adversities such as low gestational age at birth, low birth weight, low Apgar, and being born small for gestational age are well-established risk factors for epilepsy. We examined whether perinatal adversities modified the risk of epilepsy after TBI in a nationwide cohort study of Danish singletons born from 1982 to 2011.
Materials And Methods:
We categorized perinatal adversities as a composite measure of preterm delivery, low birth weight, low Apgar score, or being born small for gestational age. Cox regression and competing risk regression were used to estimate the risk of epilepsy after TBI according to such perinatal adversities. The study included 1,715,095 singletons (51.1% males). The mean age at end of follow-up was 19.3 years (Interquartile range [IQR] = 12.1-26.3). During follow-up, 85,636 persons (58.2% males) sustained a TBI and 18,064 developed epilepsy (50.7% males), of whom 1329 persons had a preceding TBI.
Results:
The hazard ratio (HR) of epilepsy in persons with perinatal adversities was 1.19 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-1.24), compared to persons without. The HR of epilepsy in persons with TBI was 2.31 (95% CI 2.18-2.45) compared to persons without TBI, but this risk was not modified by perinatal adversities (p = 0.2460).
Conclusions:
Perinatal adversities and TBI both increased the risk of epilepsy, but the risk of epilepsy after TBI was not modified by these perinatal adversities.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
01:13Seizures: Classification
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
Focal Seizures
Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types: