Epilepsy hospitalizations and mental disorders: A Portuguese population-based observational retrospective study (2008–2015)

• Published in: Epilepsy & behavior 2023-11, Vol.148, p.109447-109447, Article 109447
• Main Authors: Silva, Marta, Gonçalves-Pinho, Manuel, Ferreira, Ana Rita, Seabra, Mafalda, Freitas, Alberto, Fernandes, Lia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administrative Database; Epilepsy; Hospitalizations; Neurologic comorbidities; Psychiatric comorbidities
• ISSN: 1525-5050; 1525-5069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2023.109447

•From 27,785 epilepsy-related hospitalizations, 33.9% had a registered mental disorder.•Registered mental disorders were more common in males and older inpatients.•Comorbid mental disorders increased the use of healthcare resources.•The most frequently registered mental disorders were alcohol-related disorders.•The need to timely manage comorbid psychopathology is highlighted. Psychiatric comorbidities are highly frequent in people with epilepsy and were found to be markers of poorer prognosis. These comorbidities increase the use of healthcare resources, including emergency department visits and inpatient care. Despite this, there is little information on healthcare utilization associated with a wide range of comorbid mental disorders in people with epilepsy (PWE). To characterize registered mental disorders among all hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of epilepsy and to analyze their association with crucial hospitalization outcomes. An observational retrospective study was performed using administrative data from hospitalization episodes with epilepsy as the primary diagnosis discharged between 2008 and 2015. Mental disorder categories 650 to 670 from Clinical Classification Software were selected as secondary diagnoses. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskall-Wallis, and Chi-squared tests were used to establish comparisons. For each episode, data regarding hospitalization outcomes was retrieved, including length of stay (LoS), in-hospital mortality (IHM), 8-year period readmissions, and total estimated charges. Overall, 27,785 hospitalizations were analyzed and 33.9% had registered mental disorders, with alcohol-related disorders being the most prevalent (11.7%). For episodes with a concomitant register of a mental disorder, LoS was significantly longer (5.0 vs. 4.0 days, P