Number of COVID-19 cases in people with epilepsy low at the beginning of the pandemic

People with epilepsy worldwide reported low COVID-19 rates early in the pandemic, study finds published online 3 sept. in Epilepsy Open.

Michael J. Vasey from East London NHS Foundation Trust in Bedford, United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted separate surveys of people with epilepsy (2,105 from 53 countries) and healthcare workers (HCWs; 392 from 26 countries; April 2020 to September 2021) to understand COVID-19 infections, the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions, access to specialist epilepsy services (people with epilepsy), and the impact of the pandemic on work productivity (HCWs).

The researchers found that the same proportion of people with epilepsy in high-income countries (HICs) and non-HICs reported COVID-19 infection (7%). Participants in HICs were significantly more likely to report that COVID-19 measures had impacted their health (32 versus 23%). There were no differences in the proportion of people reporting difficulty accessing services for epilepsy between people living in non-HICs and HICs.

Compared with HCWs in HICs, HCWs in non-HICs were significantly more likely to report COVID-19 infection than those in HICs (6 vs. 18%). Furthermore, HCWs in non-HICs reported that their clinical work had been impacted by concerns about contracting COVID-19, lack of personal protective equipment, and the impact of the pandemic on mental health. The pandemic was associated with a significant shift to remote consultations in both non-HICs and HICs.

“When planning for future pandemics, mental health care should be prioritized, in addition to ensuring access to essential epilepsy care and expanding and improving access to remote consultations,” the authors write.

Several authors indicated that they have ties to relevant organizations.

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