Are Patients With Alcohol-Related Seizures a Specific Subgroup?

OBJECTIVE

Alcohol-related seizures are acute symptomatic seizures most frequently associated with alcohol withdrawal. However, little is known about the phenotypic characteristics of patients with alcohol-related seizures. This study evaluated the clinical features and personality traits of alcohol use disorder patients with alcohol-related seizures.

METHODS

This comparative correlational study assessed the clinical and psychological covariates of alcohol-related seizures. A total of 144 alcohol-dependent patients were recruited from an alcoholism unit from January 2017 to January 2019 and divided into 2 subgroups: alcohol-dependent patients reporting alcohol-related seizures and alcohol-dependent patients with no history of alcohol-related seizures.

RESULTS

The alcohol-related seizures subgroup significantly started to abuse (F = 4.1, P = .019) and depend (F = 0.12, P = .008) on alcohol at an earlier age and had more alcohol detoxification episodes (F = 4.4, P = .048), a higher degree of alcohol dependence severity (F = 0.30, P = .009), and a more frequent family history of alcoholism (χ² = 4.9, P = .026). These patients also had lower levels of openness to experience (F = 4.0, P = .029) after adjustment for current age, age at onset of alcohol misuse and dependence, severity of alcohol dependence level, number of previous alcohol detoxifications, and family history.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings will help clinicians better understand this subgroup of patients and highlight the importance of considering personality traits and other clinical features when tailoring treatment for these individuals.