Authors :
Presenting Author: Graham McLeod, MD – University of Calgary
Colin B Josephson, MD MSc (physiol.) MSc (epidemiol.) – University of Calgary
Samuel Wiebe, MD MSc – University of Calgary
Rationale:
While epilepsy is associated with high rates of neuropsychiatric comorbidities (e.g., depression, anxiety, migraine), one comorbidity whose burden remains poorly characterized is pain. Understanding pain in epilepsy could guide more targeted assessment and management.
Methods:
To characterize pain and the clinical correlates of pain severity in epilepsy, we analyzed first-visit data from 1,874 patients in the Calgary Comprehensive Epilepsy Programme. Pain was assessed using the EQ-5D-5L pain item consisting of five ordered levels: none, mild, moderate, severe, or extreme pain. Demographics, epilepsy characteristics, patient reported outcomes, seizure frequency, and antiseizure-medication, substance use, sleep disturbance, and psychiatric or neurological comorbidities were examined. Univariable analysis used Kruskal-Wallis or Chi-square tests (Bonferroni-adjusted α = 0.0017 for 30 comparisons) followed by an adjusted ordinal logistic regression with significance at p< 0.05.