Increased Risk of Severe COVID-19 Observed in People with Epilepsy: Study

A recent retrospective study revealed concerning findings regarding the susceptibility of people with epilepsy (PWE) to severe COVID-19. The key findings of the study were published in the journal of Epilepsia.

This study by Huw Strafford and team spanned from March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 and the analysis involved linked electronic health records of the SAIL databank from hospital admissions and primary care data for the Welsh population. This research conducted in Wales identified 27,279 individuals with epilepsy during the study period and matched with 136,395 controls based on sex, age and socioeconomic status. The data showed that PWE underwent a significantly increased risk of both hospitalization due to COVID-19 and death from the virus when compared to their matched counterparts.

Among the individuals with PWE, there were a total of 158 COVID-19 deaths and 933 hospitalizations, while in the control group 370 deaths and 1871 hospitalizations were reported. The hazard ratios for COVID-19 death and hospitalization in PWE when compared to controls were high at 2.15, even after adjusting for comorbidities that were known to exacerbate the COVID-19 risks.

The significance of these findings underscore the urgent need for tailored strategies to protect and prioritize PWE against COVID-19. The outcomes of this study emphasized the importance of characterizing this elevated risk to inform both individuals with epilepsy and healthcare planning moving forward.

These revelations prompt considerations for future distribution of vaccine and treatment prioritization efforts. The health authorities may need to reassess vaccination strategies to ensure equitable access and protection for this population with a better understanding of the increased vulnerability of PWE to severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Reference:

Strafford, H., Hollinghurst, J., Lacey, A. S., Akbari, A., Watkins, A., Paterson, J., Jennings, D., Lyons, R. A., Powell, H. R., Kerr, M. P., Chin, R. F., & Pickrell, W. O. (2024). Epilepsy and the risk of COVID‐19‐related hospitalization and death: A population study. In Epilepsia. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.17910