Self-reported attention and hyperactivity symptoms among adults with epilepsy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Neurology

Background:

• Epilepsy is frequently associated with psychiatric comorbidities, including depression and anxiety.
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is also more prevalent in epilepsy patients, yet understudied in adults.
• This research addresses the gap in understanding ADHD symptom burden in adults with epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence and severity of ADHD symptoms in adult patients with epilepsy (PWE) against a healthy control group.
• To assess comorbid symptoms of anxiety and depression in PWE.
• To investigate the overall symptom burden in PWE using a validated adverse events profile.

Main Methods:

• An observational case-control study involving 95 adult PWE and 100 healthy controls from southern Brazil.
• Utilized the World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Adverse Events Profile (AEP) for data collection.
• Statistical analysis included chi-square, Fisher's exact, and Mann-Whitney U tests to compare groups.

Main Results:

• Adult PWE reported significantly higher scores on the ASRS (median 26.00 vs. 17.00, p < 0.001), HADS (median 14.00 vs. 11.00, p = 0.007), and AEP (median 38.00 vs. 33.00, p = 0.001) compared to controls.
• The findings indicate a greater burden of ADHD, anxiety, and depression symptoms in the epilepsy cohort.
• These results were statistically significant, confirming the higher symptom load in PWE.

Conclusions:

• Adult patients with epilepsy exhibit a significantly higher prevalence of ADHD, depression, and anxiety symptoms.
• The study validates previous findings on increased psychiatric comorbidity in PWE within the Brazilian population.
• These results underscore the importance of screening for and managing psychiatric disorders in individuals with epilepsy.