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Abstracts

The Late Effects of Covid-19 on Epilepsy Related Deaths in the US: A Cross-Sectional Study of the CDC Wonder Database

Abstract number : 2.115
Submission category : 16. Epidemiology
Year : 2025
Submission ID : 299
Source : www.aesnet.org
Presentation date : 12/7/2025 12:00:00 AM
Published date :

Authors :
John Croom, MD, PhD – Saint Luke's Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute
Presenting Author: Christina Cacoulidis, – University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

Samuel Kim, BA – University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

Rationale:

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Although epilepsy-related deaths have historically been relatively rare, the COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted care and exacerbated demographic and regional disparities. This study examines trends in epilepsy-related mortality before, during, and after the pandemic.



Methods:

Mortality data from 1999–2023 were obtained from the CDC WONDER database (ICD-10 code G40.0). Analyses were stratified by sex, race, age, and U.S. census region. Trends were compared across three periods: pre-COVID (2018–2019), intra-COVID (2020–2021), and post-COVID (2022–2023), using one-way ANOVA and linear regression analysis.



Results:
Epilepsy-related mortality rates increased significantly after 2018, rising from 0.6 per 100,000 pre-COVID to 0.7 during COVID and 0.8 post-COVID (p = 0.0072). Regression analysis confirmed a sustained upward trend (p = 0.0000029, R² = 0.621), with increases of 287.9 deaths/year during COVID (p = 0.0000053) and 156.8 post-COVID (p = 0.0000098). In addition, mortality rates increased with age (R² = 0.74, p < 0.001), peaking at 1.7 per 100,000 for individuals ≥85. Indeed, there was a larger impact of COVID-19 over time on older populations (p< 0.0001). Race and sex did not have a strong interaction with changes in mortality rates post-pandemic (p >0.05).
 


Conclusions:
Epilepsy-related mortality rose significantly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-pandemic effects had a larger impact on the epilepsy-related deaths of elderly populations. Future studies could investigate the reasons the Covid-19 pandemic increased epilepsy related deaths particularly in the elderly population.


Funding: N/A

Epidemiology