Depression and suicide attempt as risk factors for incident unprovoked seizures

Major depression has been shown to increase the risk for development of epilepsy, but prior studies have not evaluated whether this is due to specific symptoms of depression. We conducted a population‐based case–control study of all newly diagnosed unprovoked seizures among Icelandic children and ad...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of neurology Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 35 - 41
Main Authors: Hesdorffer, Dale C., Hauser, W. Allen, Olafsson, Elias, Ludvigsson, Petur, Kjartansson, Olafur
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.01.2006
Willey-Liss
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases
Depression - complications
Depression - physiopathology
Epilepsy - diagnosis
Epilepsy - physiopathology
Female
Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy
Humans
Iceland
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes)
Neurology
Risk Factors
Seizures - etiology
Seizures - physiopathology
Suicide, Attempted
Iceland
Mood disorder
Nervous system diseases
Epilepsy
Central nervous system disease
Risk factor
Depression
Cerebral disorder
Suicide attempt
ISSN:0364-5134, 1531-8249
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Major depression has been shown to increase the risk for development of epilepsy, but prior studies have not evaluated whether this is due to specific symptoms of depression. We conducted a population‐based case–control study of all newly diagnosed unprovoked seizures among Icelandic children and adults aged 10 years and older to test the hypothesis that major depression is a risk factor for developing unprovoked seizure and epilepsy, and to address whether specific symptoms of depression account for this increased risk. Cases were matched to the next two same sex births from the population registry. Using standardized interviews, we ascertained symptoms of major depression to make a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition (DSM‐IV) diagnosis. A history of major depression was 1.7‐fold more common among cases than among controls (95% confidence interval, 1.1–2.7). A history of attempted suicide was 5.1‐fold more common among cases than among controls (95% confidence interval, 2.2–11.5). Attempted suicide increased seizure risk even after adjusting for age, sex, cumulative alcohol intake, and major depression or number of symptoms of depression. Major depression and attempted suicide independently increase the risk for unprovoked seizure. These data suggest that depression and suicide attempt may be due to different underlying neurochemical pathways, each of which is important in the development of epilepsy. Ann Neurol 2005
Bibliography:ark:/67375/WNG-2934DS8P-F
istex:0F8A0116C5DF7CB6977BB4CF374DB7713D0CEF74
NIH (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - No. 5R01 NS 32663
ArticleID:ANA20685
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0364-5134
1531-8249
DOI:10.1002/ana.20685