Epileptic Seizures in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Objective: The presence of epileptic seizures in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a well-known phenomenon. The aims of our study, performed in our clinic are to point out the correlation of the mean age/gender and age of MS patients with the onset of seizures, to identify the types of epileptic seizures in MS patients by sex/age, to identify the correlation between relapses and seizures, and to identify the main electrophysiological / imaging changes. Material and Met-hod: The medical records of 300 MS patients observed between January 2000 and December 2009 in the Neurological Clinic of University Clinical Centre of Kosova were reviewed. All patients fulfilled the McDonald MS criteria Epilepsy diagnosis was based on the ILAE (International League against Epilepsy) (1983) criteria while epileptic seizures were classified based on the ILAE classification (1981). Results: Out of 300 MS patients enrolled in this study, 49 (16.33%) were identified with seizures or epilepsy. In 23 (47%) patients out of 49, seizures or epilepsy appeared after the MS diagnosis. In 6 patients (12.2%), epileptic attacks preceded the MS diagnosis, while in 20 patients (40.8%), epilepsy was diagnosed before multiple sclerosis. These patients were treated with antiepileptics. Out of 23 patients (47%) in whom the epileptic seizures appeared after the MS diagnosis, 17 (74%) had simple partial seizures, and 6 (26%) had complex partial seizures. Based to our study, the epileptic seizures in MS patients appeared about 2.2 years after the MS diagnosis. Discussion: Simple partial seizures were 2.8 times more frequent compared to complex partial seizures. In female patients the prevalence of complex partial seizures was higher than in male patients with multiple sclerosis