A study of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in an inpatient video-electroencephalography monitoring service in Tabriz, northwest of Iran.

Background: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are manifested as paroxysmal alterations in motor, sensory, autonomic, and/or cognitive and behavioral signs and symptoms, without associated ictal epileptiform discharges. A misdiagnosis of PNES as epilepsy results in a prolonged and unnecessary (antiepileptic) drug treatment and social and psychological stigma of epilepsy in these patients. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and associated factors of PNES in hospitalized patients in the video-electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring (VEM) service of Razi Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 55 patients with a final diagnosis of PNES were selected from the patients referred to the VEM unit of Razi Hospital for the evaluation of epilepsy. The study was performed from May 2017 to June 2019. Patient information included demographic data and medical history (drug history, comorbidities, trauma, and family history). The clinical manifestations (semiology and duration of attacks) and EEG findings, as recorded by VEM during hospitalization, were collected. Results: 55 patients with PNES were studied with VEM, 27 (49.1%) of which were men, and 28 (50.9%) were women. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of age of the patients was 34.16 ± 12.64 years. No significant differences were observed in the semiology of PNES between men and women. Depression was the most common psychiatric comorbidity. Conclusion: The clinical manifestations of PNES in the present study were similar to those in most previous studies from other countries. The culture and sex of the patients did not seem to be a contributing factor in PNES semiology.

Predictors of long-term mortality after first-ever stroke.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Data on the factors affecting long-term mortality following a stroke in Iran are scarce. The current research aimed at investigating the extent of 2-year mortality following a stroke and the factors affecting it in the northwest of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted in Tabriz, Northwest of Iran. Patients with computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the first-ever stroke were included in this study and followed up to 2 years. Clinical examinations, including the severity of the stroke using the modified National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (mNIHSS), were conducted by a neurologist. The general characteristics, lifestyle factors, and laboratory tests were also completed. To estimate the survival, Kaplan-Meier analysis was used; and for group comparison, the log-rank method was applied. To identify the factors predicting 2-year mortality, semiparametric Cox regression analysis was used. RESULTS: A total of 1036 first-ever stroke patients were included in the present study. The mortality rates of stroke in 6-month, 1-year, and 2-years follow-up periods were 31.6%, 34.5%, and 38%, respectively. The two-year mortality rate was 33.6% in ischemic and 58.7% in hemorrhagic stroke (P < 0.001). In the multivariate Cox model, variables age, type of stroke, diabetes, and severity of the stroke, according to the mNIHSS index, were identified as factors predicting 2-year mortality following the stroke. CONCLUSION: The 2-year mortality following acute stroke was relatively high compared to that of in developed countries. Implementation of secondary prevention is recommended to better management of modifiable predictors of mortality.

Predictors of short-term mortality after acute stroke in East Azerbaijan province, 2014.

Introduction: Stroke is one of the important causes of death and disability in Iran. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing the short-term mortality of stroke in Northwest of Iran. Methods: Study population were all patients with confirming the diagnosis of the first-ever stroke who were hospitalized in two referral teaching hospitals from October 2013 to March 2015. They were followed up to 30 days after onset of stroke. A neurology year three resident was responsible for extracting the clinical data and assessment of stroke severity on admission using National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and information about risk factors and socio-demographic factors were collected using face to face interview. Data were analysed using Cox proportional regression by STATA software version 14. Results: A total of 1036 consecutive patients with first-ever stroke were included in this study. Of them, 228 patients (22%) died within 30 days after stroke accordance. Advanced age was significantly associated with a hazard for early mortality (HR=1.05 95% CI 1.09-1.04), the inverse was true for education level; mortality decreased as the education level increased; it was 25.7 percent among illiterate and 14.3 among patients with higher education. The NIHSS score on admission for 30-days mortality and hemorrhagic stroke were associated with HR=1.11 (95% CI 1.09-1.13) and HR= 1.65 (95% CI 1.15-2.36) respectively. Conclusion: Advanced age, stroke subtype and high NIHSS score are the independent predictors of early mortality in this study. This provides important implications for the clinicians to target the high-risk patients for the specific therapies and management strategies.