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Objectives: Psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depressive symptoms, psychotic symptoms, and mental retardation are much more common among patients with epilepsy (PWE) than the general population. This study aimed to evaluate psychiatric symptoms in patients with epilepsy. Methods: Symptom Checklist 90-R Revised (SCL-90-R) was given to all consecutive patients with epilepsy in outpatient Epilepsy Department. Participants completed the SCL-90-R questionnaire. One neurologist and one psychiatrist evaluated these forms. Subscales of somatization, obsessive-compulsive thoughts, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, psychoticism, paranoid ideation, and hostility were evaluated. Results: A total of 111 PWE and 92 sex- and age- matched control subjects were included. The mean age of the patient group was 34.05±10.90 years. Of the patients, 43 were male and 68 were female. Fourteen (12.61%) patients were diagnosed with mental retardation. Based on our results of mean SCL-90-R score for each item, somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism were significantly higher in the patient group than the control subjects. Conclusion: SCL-90-R is an easy test to evaluate psychiatric symptoms. It can be used for PWE to raise awareness of psychiatric symptoms. Once the clinicians become more aware of such symptoms, more accurate approach to the patients will be possible. In terms of follow-up of PWE, not only seizure frequency and severity but also other psychiatric symptoms are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Epilepsy and headache are common paroxysmal neurological disorders. Headache can occasionally be the sole symptom of a seizure. In addition, postictal headaches frequently occur after complex partial and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of interictal headache in patients with epilepsy presenting at an outpatient epilepsy clinic. Methods: This prospective study included 86 adult patients who were diagnosed with epilepsy and followed up at a neurology clinic. Results: A total of 86 patients with epilepsy (54 females, 32 males) were included. The type of headache in 41 (47.6%) patients was a tensiontype headache (TTH) (n=14, 16.3%), migraine with aura (n=12, 13.9%), migraine without aura (n=11, 12.8%), TTH + stabbing headache (n=1, 1.2%), cluster headache (1.2%), and other primary headaches (n=2, 2.4%). Conclusion: Patients with epilepsy often have headaches, particularly a migraine headache. Headache in patients with epilepsy may be overlooked during follow-up in the outpatient clinic setting, and this can adversely affect the quality of life of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a serious problem, and its importance has increased in recent years. It is responsible for the death of 17% of epilepsy patients. As the age of onset rises, the risk increases. Patients with refractory epilepsy are particularly at risk. Likewise, male gender, early age of onset, polytherapy, nocturnal seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) are also among the risk factors. Respiratory, cardiac, autonomic and brain stem related pathologies are held to be responsible for its pathophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peri-ictal water drinking has been defined as the action of drinking during or within 2 minutes of a seizure. It can be seen in childhood or adulthood epilepsy. It is usually seen in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy. Peri-ictal water drinking, while a rare vegetative symptom, appears to have the clinical significance of lateralizing seizure onset to the non-dominant hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Demographic and clinical findings of patients with refractory epilepsy receiving treatment at the newly established epilepsy outpatient clinic of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Faculty of Medicine were evaluated. Methods: Records of patients treated at the epilepsy outpatient clinic between June 2014 and March 2016 were examined, and 60 patients with refractory epilepsy were included the study. Results: Mean age was 34.3 years. Of the total, 29 were men and 31 were women. Seizures of 50 patients were partial onset, while those of 3 were generalized. Fourteen patients had psychogenic seizures, and 1 patient was diagnosed with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia. The electroencephalogram (EEG) recording of 20 patients was normal. Partial epileptiform abnormalities were present in 24 patients, and generalized epileptiform abnormalities were seen in 1 patient. Treatment was modified in 45 patients. Four patients were seizure-free, 13 showed more than 50% reduction in seizure frequency, and 9 patients had less than 50% fewer seizures. It is thought that 34 patients have pharmacoresistant seizures. The cause of uncontrolled seizures was misdiagnosis in 5 patients, improper drug in 3 patients, and insufficient treatment dose in 5 patients. Conclusion: Accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment with sufficient dose of drug selected according to type of seizure is important for patients with refractory epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between hormones and epilepsy is very complex. Hormones affect epilepsy, while epilepsy affects hormones. In addition, antiepileptic drugs have effects on seizures and hormones. In patients with epilepsy, menstrual disorders, hypothalamic amenorrhea, polycystic ovary syndrome, premature menopause, decreased fertility, sperm motility disorder, decreased sexual desire, problems in ejaculation, and orgasmic difficulty are more common than in the normal population. In this article, the relationship between epilepsy and hormones is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate demographic and clinical findings of patients who underwent follow-up at the newly established epilepsy outpatient clinic of the Muğla University Faculty of Medicine. Methods: Included were 208 patients who underwent follow-up at the clinic between March 2014 and September 2015. Results: Mean age was 29.42±15.86, with a range of 5-84 years. Eighty-three patients were men (39.9%); 125 were women (60.1%). The most common risk factors included head trauma, febrile convulsion, and family history of epilepsy. Seizures of 155 patients (75.5%) were partialonset, those of 22 (10.6%) were generalized, and those of 9 (4.3%) were unclassified. Sixty-seven patients (37.2%) had normal electroencephalogram, 96 patients (53.3%) had partial, and 10 patients (5.6%) had generalized epileptiform abnormalities. Of the 172 patients (28.5%) to whom antiepileptic drugs had been administered, 49 were resistant to medical treatment. Of the patients with modified therapy, 22 (41.5%) were seizure-free, 7 (13.2%) experienced >50% reduction in seizure frequency, and 8 experienced <50% reduction. Seizure frequency of 16 patients (30.2%) did not change. Conclusion: Regular monitoring of patients in certain centers significantly increases compliance, success of treatment, seizure-free rate, and the monitoring of side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]