New research: The impact of Covid-19 on people with epilepsy
SUDEP Action has contributed to a new research paper on the impacts of Covid-19 on people with epilepsy.
SUDEP Action has contributed to a new research paper on the impacts of Covid-19 on people with epilepsy.
The paper – The impact of COVID-19 on people with epilepsy: Global results from the coronavirus and epilepsy study– examined the experiences of people with epilepsy and healthcare workers during the first 18 months of the pandemic and compared experiences in high-income countries (HICs) with non-HICs.
A total of 2,105 people with epilepsy from 53 countries and 392 healthcare workers from 26 countries took part.
The study found that:
• The frequency of Covid-19 infection in people with epilepsy during the acute phase of the pandemic was similar in high-income countries (HICs) and non-HICs.
• People with epilepsy in HICs were more likely to report that Covid-19 measures affected their general health.
• There was no difference in the proportion of people with epilepsy in non-HICs and HICs reporting difficulty in accessing treatment.
• During the pandemic, there was a general pattern of declining mental health and reduced access to specialist epilepsy care.
• A shift to telemedicine consultations appears to have been widely and rapidly adopted in both HICs and non-HICs.
This new international publication confirms that the general and mental wellbeing of people in the UK and other higher income countries were particularly affected during the pandemic. This research offers important evidence for suddenly bereaved families through the pandemic and all those affected by a lack of access to services since.
Jane Hanna, SUDEP Action Director of Policy & Influencing, said: “At a time of great crisis, we were able to move fast to partner with Oxford University, leading to one of the largest surveys of people with epilepsy during the times of Covid-19. There are vital learnings here, not just relating to potential future pandemics but also the critical importance of using epilepsy services preciously and wisely to maximise access for patients at risk.”
Read the full paper here.
