Prevalence and Risk Factors of Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizure among Patients Evaluated for Seizures.

Context: Seizures are challenging medical emergencies that can be difficult to diagnose, especially since no quick, reliable tests are available in an emergency setting. Approximately 10% of the general population will experience at least one seizure episode during their lifetime. Epilepsy mimics include several paroxysmal conditions that resemble epileptic seizures in their clinical presentation. Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are common mimics.

Aims: Studies involving PNES in Saudi Arabia are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of PNES and associated risk factors.

Settings and design: A cross-sectional study was conducted at our institution to assess the prevalence of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in patients presenting with seizure.

Methods: We retrospectively collected and analyzed the medical records of 260 patients who experienced seizures between 2019 and 2020.

Statistical analysis used: Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 27).

Results: PNES was diagnosed in 9.2% of the participants, with females accounting for the majority of cases (70.8%). A statistically significant difference was observed between males and females (P < 0.05). The majority (95.8%) of patients with PNES had normal EEGs, and no abnormalities were found on computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging in most patients (79.1%). In addition, 58.3% of patients with PNES reported taking antiepileptic drugs.

Conclusions: Determining the prevalence of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures is challenging. Our study revealed that the prevalence of PNES in patients with seizures was 9.2%. Female sex is a significant risk factor for PNES. Demographic characteristics and clinical data can help identify patients with PNES and guide appropriate management options.