Autonomic Dysfunction in Epileptic Patients

Objective: To investigate autonomic symptoms in different types of epilepsy in comparison to control subjects. To observe whether autonomic symptoms cause possible morbidity and mortality and to make a preliminary remedy Patients and Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for 28 patients diagnosed with epilepsy including 18 patients with complex partial epilepsy (CPE) and 10 patients with primary generalized epilepsy (PJE). Their autonomic symptoms were assessed using the COMPASS-31 questionnaire in comparison to a control group of 18 subjects. Results: No statistically significant differences were found in autonomic dysfunction symptoms between patients with CPE and patients with PJE. However, constipation and insomnia which autonomic symptoms were statistically significantly more common in epileptic patients compared to the control group. Conclusions: It is important to recognize and watch out for symptoms of autonomic dysfunction in patients with epilepsy. We believe that awareness for these symptoms is essential both to reduce associated disability and develop specific treatment strategies and to predict sudden unexpected death in epileptic patients.