Physical Activity, Anxiety, and Seizure Frequency in Epilepsy: The Results of the First 3 Months of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an extraordinary experience around the world; however, its effect on physical activity, anxiety, and seizure frequency remains unknown among epilepsy patients in the time of the national lockdown. We aimed to investigate whether the physical activity, anxiety, and seizure frequency were affected during the national lockdown of the first 3 months in patients with epilepsy. METHODS: Forty-seven epilepsy patients participated in this study. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF; metabolic equivalent [MET]-min/week) was used to measure physical activity level. Patients’ anxiety was assessed with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7; score). The patients answered the IPAQ-SF and GAD-7 questions through telephone interviews. RESULTS: The total IPAQ-SF (MET-min/week) scores of patients decreased during the national lockdown compared to pre-lockdown period, while the daily sitting time (min/day) increased (p