Stress sensitivity of childhood epilepsy is related to experienced negative life events.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of stress on seizure frequency in childhood epilepsy, and to assess possible differences between children in whom seizures are precipitated by stress and those in whom they are not.


METHODS
Parents or caregivers of children with active epilepsy (aged 2-16 years) were sent questionnaires on developmental and epilepsy characteristics, life-time stress exposure, and the effect of stressful periods and moments of acute stress on seizure frequency in their child. Further information was extracted from patient files.


RESULTS
Parents or caregivers of 153 children with a median age of 8.8 years responded to the questionnaires. Thirty-nine percent reported an increase in seizure frequency during periods of stress, with a median increase of 2.5 times the frequency compared to nonstressful periods. Thirty-seven percent reported that seizures were precipitated by acute stress, with stress being a precipitating factor in 33% (median value) of the seizures. Overall, 51% of the patients reported stress sensitivity of seizures. A higher number of negative life events experienced in total life was related to an increase in seizure frequency in stressful periods (odds ratio [OR] 1.3, p = 0.01) as well as to the precipitation of seizures by acute stress (OR 1.3, p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Stress sensitivity is reported in half of the children with epilepsy. Results of this study suggest a relation between experienced negative life events and stress sensitivity of childhood epilepsy. One possible explanation could be that experiencing negative life events may cause a larger response to daily stressors, thereby increasing the likelihood to induce epileptic activity.
Department of Pediatric Neurology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. j.s.vancampen-4@umcutrecht.nl
Jolien S
JS
van Campen
Floor E
FE
Jansen
Laurie C
LC
Steinbusch
Marian
M
Joëls
Kees P J
KP
Braun
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires