Abstracts

Rationale: Data on CNS-related comorbidities in community-based samples with epilepsy are limited. This study describes CNS-related comorbidities in individuals with self-reported epilepsy in a large survey of U.S. households. Methods: An 11-item screening survey was mailed in 2008 to 340,000 households from two national panels selected to be representative of the U.S. population. Information on occurrence of epilepsy and other disorders was collected from 172,959 adult respondents (51% survey response; assumes 1 respondent per household) who provided information on epilepsy and comorbidities based on self-reports of a medical diagnosis. Propensity score matching was used to balance the epilepsy and non-epilepsy cohorts on baseline characteristics, risk factors and panel differences associated with epilepsy (age, gender, income, population density, geographic region, severe head injury, stroke, main effect of panel and interaction terms). Prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated using log-binomial generalized linear models to estimate the association of epilepsy with comorbidities. Results: Two-percent (3,488) of surveyed individuals who responded reported ever having had epilepsy or a seizure disorder (epilepsy cohort). Among these respondents, mean age was 48±15.8 (SD) years, 61% were female, 35% reported having had a seizure or convulsion in the past 12-months, and 27% reported having had a seizure or convulsion caused by high fever as a child. Using the propensity-matched sample, respondents who self-reported an epilepsy diagnosis were more likely than others to report ever having had depression (32.5% vs. 25.6%, PR=1.27, 95% CI=1.18-1.37), anxiety disorder (22.4% vs. 13.9%, PR=1.61, 95% CI=1.46-1.79), bipolar disorder (14.1% vs. 6.7%, PR=2.11, 95% CI=1.82, 2.45), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (13.2% vs. 5.5%, PR=2.39, 95% CI=2.03-2.81), sleep disorder (19.6% vs. 13.6%, PR=1.44, 95% CI=1.29-1.60) or migraine (27.9% vs. 20.6%, PR=1.36, 95% CI=1.25-1.48). Self-reported rates of diabetes (15.2% for both) and high blood pressure (36.2% vs. 36.7%) did not differ between those with epilepsy vs. those without (P>0.05). Conclusions: Certain CNS-related comorbidities occurred more often in individuals with self-reported epilepsy than in those without. Identification of these CNS-related conditions may be an important consideration in the clinical management of epilepsy. Supported by Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC.