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Panic attacks mistaken for relapse of epilepsy
P Genton1, F Bartolomei, R Guerrini
1Centre Saint Paul, Marseille, France.
Epilepsia
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Epilepsy patients experiencing recurrent seizures may actually have panic attacks, not epilepsy relapses. Accurate diagnosis is crucial to avoid ineffective antiepileptic drug treatments and ensure proper panic disorder management.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Panic attacks are frequently misdiagnosed as pseudoepileptic seizures in epilepsy patients.
- This misdiagnosis can lead to pseudosevere epilepsy and inappropriate treatment.
Observation:
- Four patients with epilepsy in remission were misdiagnosed with relapsing seizures.
- These patients presented with typical panic attack symptoms.
Findings:
- Recurrence of seizures after long remission in epilepsy patients warrants careful evaluation for panic disorder.
- Accurate retrospective diagnosis and symptomatology description, potentially with EEG-video monitoring, are essential.
Implications:
- Distinguishing panic attacks from epileptic seizures prevents unnecessary antiepileptic drug (AED) use.
- Proper identification allows for targeted treatment of panic disorder in epilepsy patients.