From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   ADHD Common in Adults With Epilepsy   
   Megan Brooks   
   January 19, 2015   
       
   Nearly 20% of adult epilepsy patients report symptoms of attenti   
   n-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a rate much higher than of the   
   general adult population, a new study shows.   
      
   Epilepsy patients with ADHD symptoms also have higher rates of anxiety and   
   depression and worse seizure frequency.   
      
   "Little was previously known about the prevalence of ADHD symptoms in adults   
   with epilepsy, and the results were quite striking," first author Alan B.   
   Ettinger, MD, director, Epilepsy Center at Neurological Surgery, PC, in Lake   
   Success, New York, noted    
   in a statement.   
      
   "To my knowledge, this is the first time ADHD symptoms in adults with epilepsy   
   have been described in the scientific literature. Yet, the presence of these   
   symptoms may have severe implications for patients' quality of life, mood,   
   anxiety, and    
   functioning in both their social and work lives," said Dr Ettinger, professor   
   of clinical neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City.   
      
   The study was published online January 15 in Epilepsia.   
      
   Screen for Psychosocial Troubles   
      
   The investigators surveyed 1361 adults with active epilepsy as part of the   
   Epilepsy Comorbidities and Health (EPIC) study. A total of 251 (18.4%) were   
   classified as experiencing significant ADHD symptoms on the Adult ADHD   
   Self-Report Scale, version 6 (   
   ASRS-6), a rate four times higher than the 4.4% rate of ADHD in the general   
   adult population.   
      
   Adults with epilepsy who had ADHD symptoms were nine times more likely to have   
   depression and eight times more likely to have anxiety symptoms than their   
   peers without ADHD symptoms. They also reported lower quality of life and   
   worse physical and social    
   function and were more likely to be unemployed.   
      
   "This study reinforces the fact that we have to broaden our view of what   
   epilepsy entails," Dr Ettinger said. "Our patients may also have psychiatric   
   comorbidities, and screening for and treating these may make a great   
   difference to patients in their    
   family, school, and work lives."   
      
   "Physicians who treat epilepsy often attribute depression, anxiety, reduced   
   quality of life, and psychosocial outcomes to the effects of seizures,   
   antiepileptic therapies, and underlying central nervous system conditions," he   
   added.   
      
   "Our findings suggest that ADHD may also be playing a significant role.   
   However, we don't know yet if ADHD in epilepsy is synonymous with ADHD in the   
   general population, which is often responsive to treatment," Dr Ettinger said.   
      
   "As a next step, we need to validate measures to screen for ADHD specifically   
   in epilepsy and clarify the nature of ADHD symptoms in adults with epilepsy.   
   This will lay the foundation for future trials of treatments that offer the   
   promise of rendering    
   major improvements in the quality of life of adult epilepsy patients," he said.   
      
   The study was funded by the Leslie Munzer Neurological Institute. Janssen   
   Scientific Affairs provided data access. Data analysis was performed by   
   Vedanta Research. Dr Ettinger has served on advisory boards for Upsher-Smith,   
   Eisai, Sunovion, and UCB and    
   as a consultant to Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC. The original   
   article contains a complete list of author disclosures.   
      
   Epilepsia. Published online January 15, 2015. Abstract   
      
       
       
   NEXT ARTICLE   
   ADHD in the US: New Facts and Figures   
      
      
   http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/838314   
      
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