Abstracts

Rationale: Adolescents with epilepsy (AWE) frequently report an increase in seizure frequency in association with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Our institution recently established an interdisciplinary adolescent epilepsy clinic, in which multiple specialists (psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, and nutrition) work alongside the epileptologist to address the various psychosocial challenges faced by AWE. This is a consecutive review of reported GI symptomatology in all patients in this interdisciplinary adolescent epilepsy clinic, all of whom were evaluated by a registered dietitian (RD) and epileptologist. By assessing the frequency of GI symptoms in AWE, we aim to develop a GI symptom tracker tool to better assess the impact of GI problems on seizure control.  Methods: A retrospective chart review of AWE (n=79) between the ages of 10-27 years of age, was conducted over a 6-month period. Gastrointestinal symptoms and seizure frequency documented by the RD and epileptologist were assessed.  Results: Seventy-nine patients (54% male) with mean age of 16.4 ± 4.0 years were evaluated. One patient was excluded for age <10 years old. Nineteen of 79 (24%) patients reported GI symptoms, 14 of whom were female. Females reported significantly more overall GI symptoms than males (p=0.018). The most commonly reported symptom was constipation (n=17), in addition to loose stools (n=1) and dyspepsia (n=1). GI symptoms were documented more frequently by the RD than the epileptologist (p=0.002).   Conclusions: GI symptoms are common in AWE, particularly in female patients, and likely under-reported in epilepsy clinic visits. Further study is required to determine the impact of these symptoms on seizure frequency, seizure intensity, and health-related quality of life. Based on these findings, a combined seizure/GI symptom tracker will be developed to evaluate these questions.  Funding: No funding