Lifestyle factors, psychiatric and neurologic comorbidities, and drug use associated with incident seizures among adult patients with depression: a population-based nested case-control study.

To investigate risk factors for incident seizures among adult patients with depression. We conducted a nested case-control analysis in adult patients with newly diagnosed depression, using data from the U.K.-based Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Among cases with incident seizures and matched controls, we estimated odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of potential risk factors for seizures as reported from data of the general population: underweight (body mass index <18.5 kg/m2), smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, psychiatric or neurologic comorbidities, and concomitant use of drugs. Of 186,540 patients with depression, 1489 developed a seizure during follow-up. Being underweight (OR 1.67 [95 % CI 1.23-2.26]), a current smoker (OR 1.45 [95 % CI 1.26-1.67]), having alcoholism (OR 2.98 [95 % CI 2.56-3.47]), and drug abuse (OR 2.51 [95 % CI 1.94-3.24]), were associated with increased risks of seizures compared to normal weight, non-smoking, no alcoholism, and no drug abuse, respectively. Previous stroke/transient ischemic attack (OR 6.07 [95 % CI 4.71-7.83]) or intracerebral bleeding (OR 8.19 [95 % CI 4.80-13.96]), and comorbid dementia (OR 6.83 [95 % CI 4.81-9.69]), were strongly associated with seizures. Current use of cephalosporins (OR 2.47 [95 % CI 1.61-3.78]) and antiarrhythmics (OR 1.59 [95 % CI 1.26-2.01]) was associated with an increased risk of seizures compared to non-use. Among adult patients with depression, being underweight, smoking, alcoholism, and drug abuse, were associated with seizures. Remote stroke and comorbid dementia were strong risk factors for seizures. Current use of cephalosporins or antiarrhytmics was associated with an increased risk of seizures compared to non-use.

Statin use and risk of glioma: population-based case-control analysis.

Statins have been reported to decrease the incidence of cancer, but the risk of glioma among statin users has been investigated in only two prior observational studies, both of them suggesting a modest protective effect of statins. We conducted a matched case-control study using data from the UK-based Clinical Practice Research Datalink to analyse use of statins among 2469 cases with glioma and 24,690 controls. We performed conditional logistic regression analysis to calculate relative risks, estimated as odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for multiple confounding factors. As compared with non-use of statins, use of statins was not associated with risk of glioma (OR for ≥90 prescriptions=0.75; 95 % CI 0.48-1.17). Our findings do not support previous sparse evidence of a possible inverse association between statin use and glioma risk.