Comorbid epilepsy in Finnish patients with adult-onset Huntington's disease.

Jussi O T Sipilä,Kari Majamaa,Merja Soilu-Hänninen

doi:10.1186/s12883-016-0545-z

Abstract

BackgroundSeizures are common in juvenile Huntington’s disease (HD), but considered to be rare in adult-onset HD. We studied the occurrence of epilepsy and seizures in a nationwide cohort of Finnish patients with adult-onset HD.MethodsPatients with HD and their diagnoses of epilepsy or seizures were identified by a search into a nationwide registry. Cases were verified in a subsequent review of patient charts.ResultsThree out of 114 HD patients alive on prevalence date had been diagnosed with epilepsy giving a prevalence of 2.6 % (95 % CI, 0.6–7.5). In addition, one patient with a single unprovoked seizure, one patient with a medication-induced seizure and two patients with transient nonspecific attacks were identified. Epilepsy was not associated with clinical severity of HD and seizures were controlled with antiepileptic medications (AEDs). Generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCs) were the most common seizure type.ConclusionsPrevalence of epilepsy is similar in patients with adult-onset HD compared to general population. Seizures are easily controlled with AEDs.

Highlights

Seizures are common in juvenile Huntington’s disease (HD), but considered to be rare in adultonset HD
We examined the incidence of epilepsy and seizures in a nationwide cohort of Finnish patients with adult-onset HD
We found that the point prevalence of diagnosed epilepsy in our cohort of adult-onset HD patients was 2.6 %

Summary

Introduction

Seizures are common in juvenile Huntington’s disease (HD), but considered to be rare in adultonset HD. We studied the occurrence of epilepsy and seizures in a nationwide cohort of Finnish patients with adult-onset HD. Epileptic seizures are common in juvenile-onset Huntington’s disease (HD), where they occur at a frequency of 38 % [1]. Seizures are thought to be rare in adult-onset HD and, even more, it has been proposed that the clinical diagnosis of HD should be re-evaluated, if seizures occur in an adult patient [4]. Research on the subject is scarce, as the occurrence of seizures and epilepsy in adult-onset HD has not been thoroughly investigated since the introduction of genetic testing for HD in 1993.

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