RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Epilepsy trigger factors in Saudi Arabia
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 828
OP 833
DO 10.15537/smj.2020.8.25220
VO 41
IS 8
A1 Foziah J. Alshamrani
A1 Mohammed A. Alshurem
A1 Mohammed F. Almuaigel
A1 Noor M. AlMohish
YR 2020
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/41/8/828.abstract
AB Objectives: To identify epilepsy triggers prevalent in Saudi Arabia with a view to seizure prevention or achieving a reduction in their frequency.Methods: This is part of a cross-sectional study carried out in 2020 in a Saudi population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We used an online questionnaire to evaluate the most common seizure trigger factors.Results: A total of 546 Saudi patients with epilepsy participated in the study, of which 289 (53%) were women. Of them, 263 (48.1%) had no seizure in the previous 3 months. One hundred and thirty-six (25%) had a family member with epilepsy. The most-reported trigger factor was sleep deprivation reported by 285 (52%), followed by stress 225 (41%), missed medication 210 (38.5%), anxiety 209 (38.3%), and fatigue 184 (33.7%).Conclusions: Sleep deprivation is the most reported trigger factor for seizures in the KSA, followed by stress, followed by missed medication.