Abstracts

Rationale: Epilepsy is major neurological disorder widely present across the world. The Arab world is unique in terms of ethnicity, various cultural and religious practices, and disease epidemiology. Previous reviews estimate the prevalence of epilepsy in the Arab world to be 2.3 per 1000 cases. They also concluded that in most Arab countries, there is no existing reliable data on the prevalence and incidence of epilepsy. Data uniquely exists from Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, and Sudan. The United Arab Emirates is an emergent growing economy with a unique social composition, which may impact the frequency of the different types of epilepsy and their etiologies. Furthermore, genetic characteristics of the local population, influenced by consanguine marriage, may also impact the distribution of the different etiologies. In turn, this will impact the results of epilepsy surgery. Several new hospitals and universities have been built in this country, with state-of-the art technologies for the Middle East. We present the epidemiological description and results of epilepsy surgeries conducted on patients admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. We then compare the findings with international data._x000D_
Methods: Retrospective review was conducted of consecutive patients admitted in the Epilepsy Unit of the Cleveland Clinic at the United Arab Emirates between the years 2017 and 2021. A descriptive analysis of the population is provided and then compared with an international cohort of population-based studies. Epilepsy surgery outcomes were then calculated and compared with the international standards._x000D_
Results: A total of 200 patients with epilepsy admitted to the EMU at our institution were included based on the presence of epileptic seizures captured during the admission.  Forty-six percent (46%) of patients admitted were female. Non-lesional epilepsy was the most common etiology. Neurodevelopmental disorders were more frequent than in other populations. The most frequent seizure-type was focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures and primarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Status epilepticus was a rare complication that did not require intensive care unit admission. No severe traumatic complications or SUDEP cases were registered. Twenty lesional patients have already been treated with surgery. Of them, 63% are seizure free. Epilepsy surgery outcome at our center was comparable to international standards. A comparison with international data is provided._x000D_
Conclusions: The diverse epidemiological composition of the country and the genetic characteristics show a unique distribution of the etiology of epilepsy in patients admitted to our EMU at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Initial surgical outcomes meet international criteria related to epilepsy surgery._x000D_
Funding: This research poster did not receive funding.