Mbizvo, Gashirai K 
ORCID: 0000-0002-9588-2944, Schnier, Christian, Ramsay, Julie, Duncan, Susan E and Chin, Richard Fm ORCID: 0000-0002-7256-3027
(2023)
Epilepsy-related mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationwide study of routine Scottish data.
Seizure, 110.
pp. 160-168.
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SEIZURE-D-23-00126_author-accepted.pdf - Author Accepted Manuscript Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
<h4>Objective</h4>To examine whether epilepsy-related deaths increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and if the proportion with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause is different between people experiencing epilepsy-related deaths and those experiencing deaths unrelated to epilepsy.<h4>Methods</h4>This was a Scotland-wide, population-based, cross-sectional study of routinely-collected mortality data pertaining to March-August of 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic peak) compared to the corresponding periods in 2015-2019. ICD-10-coded causes of death of deceased people of any age were obtained from a national mortality registry of death certificates in order to identify those experiencing epilepsy-related deaths (coded G40-41), deaths with COVID-19 listed as a cause (coded U07.1-07.2), and deaths unrelated to epilepsy (death without G40-41 coded). The number of epilepsy-related deaths in 2020 were compared to the mean observed through 2015-2019 on an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model (overall, men, women). Proportionate mortality and odds ratios (OR) for deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause were determined for the epilepsy-related deaths compared to deaths unrelated to epilepsy, reporting 95% confidence intervals (CIs).<h4>Results</h4>A mean number of 164 epilepsy-related deaths occurred through March-August of 2015-2019 (of which a mean of 71 were in women and 93 in men). There were subsequently 189 epilepsy-related deaths during the pandemic March-August 2020 (89 women, 100 men). This was 25 more epilepsy-related deaths (18 women, 7 men) compared to the mean through 2015-2019. The increase in women was beyond the mean year-to-year variation seen in 2015-2019. Proportionate mortality with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause was similar between people experiencing epilepsy-related deaths (21/189, 11.1%, CI 7.0-16.5%) and deaths unrelated to epilepsy (3,879/27,428, 14.1%, CI 13.7-14.6%), OR 0.76 (CI 0.48-1.20). Ten of 18 excess epilepsy-related deaths in women had COVID-19 listed as an additional cause.<h4>Conclusions</h4>There is little evidence to suggest there have been any major increases in epilepsy-related deaths in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is a common underlying cause of both epilepsy-related and unrelated deaths.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Humans, Epilepsy, Cross-Sectional Studies, Scotland, Female, Male, Pandemics, COVID-19 |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Jun 2023 15:11 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Aug 2023 00:26 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.seizure.2023.06.010 |
| Open Access URL: | https://www.seizure-journal.com/article/S1059-1311... |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3170954 |
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