Stress and epilepsy: a population-based cohort study of epilepsy in parents who lost a child.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of the study described here was to study the risk for epilepsy in parents exposed to severe stress caused by loss of a child.


METHODS
The risk of being diagnosed with epilepsy (Danish National Hospital Register) in a cohort of parents who had lost a child under the age of 18 was compared with the risk among parents who had not lost a child.


RESULTS
The adjusted relative risk (RR) of epilepsy in parents who had lost a child was 1.50 (95% CI: 1.21-1.86). The RR was modified by time since bereavement and was 2.46 (95% CI: 1.49-4.07) in mothers and 1.92 (95% CI: 1.09-3.36) in fathers within the first 3 years of loss of a child, and 2.10 (95% CI: 1.53-2.88) in mothers and 0.66 (95% CI: 0.41-1.06) in fathers 4 to 18 years after loss.


CONCLUSIONS
Stress was associated with a moderately increased risk of being diagnosed with epilepsy.
Christensen
Jakob
J
Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Norrebrogade 44, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark. jakob@farm.au.dk
Li
Jiong
J
Vestergaard
Mogens
M
Olsen
Jørn
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001601:Bereavement; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018672:Community Health Planning; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012306:Risk; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*