Prevalence of anxiety disorders in epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE

Anxiety disorders (ADs) are common in patients with epilepsy (PWE). The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of specific ADs in outpatients with epilepsy.

METHODS

A group of 118 consecutive outpatients with epilepsy were screened, and 96 patients meeting inclusion criteria were examined by a trained psychiatrist using Structured Clinical Interview (SICD-I) for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (Text Revision) (DSM-IV-TR).

RESULTS

A diagnosis of any current AD was established in 16 (16.7%) out of 96 participants. Furthermore, panic disorder (PD) was the most frequent AD; it was observed in 13.5% of PWE and constituted 81.2% of the identified ADs in the study group. Older age and later age of seizure onset were associated with increased odds of AD diagnosis.

STUDY LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional study design, a consecutive sample of patients presenting to a tertiary referral center, and small sample size of the population could have affected the results.

CONCLUSIONS

Panic disorder and other forms of AD are common among PWE. Age and age of seizure onset are important factors associated with AD among PWE.