Stress and epilepsy: A population-based cohort study of epilepsy in parents who lost a child

Objective. The goal of the study described here was to study the risk for epilepsy in parents exposed to severe stress caused by loss of a child. Methods. The risk of being diagnosed with epilepsy (Danish National Hospital Register) in a cohort of parents who had lost a child under the age of 18 was compared with the risk among parents who had not lost a child. Results. The adjusted relative risk (RR) of epilepsy in parents who had lost a child was 1.50 (95% CI: 1.21-1.86). The RR was modified by time since bereavement and was 2.46 (951% CI: 1.49-4.07) in mothers and 1.92 (95% CI: 1.09-3.36) in fathers within the first 3 years of loss of a child, and 2.10 (95% CI: 1.53-2.88) in mothers and 0.66 (95% CI: 0.41-1.06) in fathers 4 to IS years after loss. Conclusions. Stress was associated with a moderately increased risk of being diagnosed with epilepsy. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.