How many patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures also have epilepsy?

Neurology. 2001 Sep 11;57(5):915-7. doi: 10.1212/wnl.57.5.915.

Abstract

The proportion of patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) who also have epilepsy has been reported to vary from 10% to over 50%. The authors reviewed all 32 patients diagnosed with PNES in our EEG-video monitoring unit over a period of 1 year, and only 3 (9.4%) had interictal epileptiform discharges to support a coexisting diagnosis of epilepsy. Thus, the authors believe that only a small proportion of patients with PNES have coexisting epilepsy.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Electroencephalography
  • Epilepsy / complications
  • Epilepsy / diagnosis*
  • Epilepsy / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / methods
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / statistics & numerical data
  • Seizures / complications
  • Seizures / diagnosis*
  • Seizures / physiopathology