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Observational Study
. 2021 Feb:115:107497.
doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107497. Epub 2020 Sep 21.

Impact of COVID-19 on seizure-related emergency attendances and hospital admissions - A territory-wide observational study

William C Y Leung  1 , Eric H Y Lau  2 , Patrick Kwan  3 , Richard Shek-Kwan Chang  4
Affiliations
Observational Study

Impact of COVID-19 on seizure-related emergency attendances and hospital admissions - A territory-wide observational study

William C Y Leung et al. Epilepsy Behav. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

This is a territory-wide study to investigate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) attendances and acute ward admissions for seizures. Adult patients who presented to the A&E with seizures from January 23, 2020 to March 24, 2020 (study period) were included and compared with parallel intervals from 2015 to 2019 (control periods). Preexisting time trend in control periods and potential changes during COVID-19 were analyzed by Poisson, negative and logistic regression models. Accident and Emergency Department attendances and ward admissions for seizures decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 319 and 230 recorded ward admissions and A&E attendances for seizures were identified during the study period in 2020, compared with 494 and 343 per annum, respectively in the control periods. The ratio of acute ward admission per A&E attendance for seizures did not change significantly. Intensive care utility and mortality rates remained stable. For some patients, delaying medical attention due to fear of nosocomial COVID-19 cross-infection may lead to severe or even life-threatening consequences. This change in medical help-seeking behavior calls for new medical care models to meet the service gap. Education to patients with epilepsy and their caregivers is of utmost importance during this pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Epilepsy; Help-seeking behavior; Pandemic; Seizures.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest None of the authors has any conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hospital utilization during study period from 2015 to 2020.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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