Abstract
Background
Symptoms in the postictal period are often neglected by professionals and patients/family
members.
Objective
To relate the characteristics of the postictal period with the clinical variables
of adult patients with epilepsy.
Methods
Prospectively, the clinical characteristics of the postictal period were related to
the clinical variables and the scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
(HADS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) of 70 patients with epilepsy.
Results
The mean age was 47.6 years old, and 34 (48.6%) patients were male, the mean age at
onset of epilepsy was 20.3 years old, the epileptic syndrome was structural in 48
cases, the mean score in the MMSE was 23.6, the mean score in the HADS-anxiety was
7.3, and in the HADS-depression it was 5.6. Postictal manifestation occurred in 59
(84.2%) cases, with prolonged duration in 22 (37.2%) cases. There was a difference
in the duration and presence of postictal manifestation according to age at the onset
of epilepsy. Higher HADS-anxiety scores were associated with the presence of confusion
in the postictal period (t-test; 9.3 ± 6.8 versus 5.8 ± 4.8; p = 0.015). Lower MMSE scores were related to postictal anxiety and sleepiness/headache/confusion.
Left-sided epileptiform activity (EA) was associated with postictal sleepiness/headache/confusion.
There was a difference in postictal manifestation according to epileptic syndrome.
Conclusion
The characteristics of the postictal period differed according to the age of onset,
the type of seizure, and the epileptic syndrome. Different symptoms in the postictal
period were associated with the scores on HADS anxiety, MMSE, and left-sided EA on
the electroencephalogram.
Keywords
Epilepsy - Seizures - Confusion
Bibliographical Record
Cecília Fusco Agostinho, Glória M. A. S. Tedrus. Postictal status and clinical variables
in adults with epilepsy. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2025; 83: s00451811625.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811625
