title: Hypoglycemic seizures and epilepsy in type I diabetes mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To determine the characteristics of seizures and/or epilepsy among patients with adult onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and (2) to determine glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (antiGADab) titres and other autoimmune characteristics of T1DM patients with seizure and/or epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were recruited after reviewing the databases of one Diabetes Unit and two Epilepsy Units. Prevalence of suffering epilepsy and/or seizures was calculated in the group of adult onset T1DM patients seen consecutively in the Diabetes Unit. Serum antiGADab titres were determined in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 229 T1DM patients, two had suffered hypoglycemic seizures (0.87%) and two unprovoked seizures (0.87%). We recruited 11 of these T1DM patients. Five reported only hypoglycemic seizures, and 6 temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Mean antiGADab titres in patients with T1DM and hypoglycemic seizures were lower (18.42 IU) than in those with T1DM and TLE (29.200 IU), p: 0.006. Patients with T1DM and TLE suffered more other autoimmune diseases than those with T1DM and hypoglycemic seizures, p: 0.015.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypoglycemic seizures are rare in T1DM patients. AntiGADab titres do not differ from the general diabetic population. Patients with high titres of antiGADab are more likely to develop TLE.
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain. Electronic address: mfalip@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Mercè
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falip
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
authors.forename: Júlia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miró
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clinic I Provincial de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carreño
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
authors.forename: Sònia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaraba
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Germans Trias I Pujol, Badalona, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Luís
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Becerra
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cayuela
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Service, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perez Maraver
authors.affiliation: Neuroimmunology Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clinic i Provincial de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Graus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012640:Seizures / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase
keywords: Acute seizures; Autoimmune epilepsy; Diabetes mellitus type 1; Glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies; Hypoglycemia; Temporal lobe epilepsy