癲癇患者的憂鬱狀態分析

Interictal Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Epilepsy

目的：本研究目的在於評估中部地區某區域醫院癲癇患者憂鬱症狀的比率以及造成憂鬱狀態的可能因子。方法： 本研究評估74位門診的癲癇患者（47位男性及27位女性），就其癲癇發作的型態、初發年齡、癲癇發作期間、發作頻率、抗癲癇藥物使用情形以及癲癇發作的原因做詳細的紀錄；並使用漢氏憂鬱量表來評估病患的憂鬱症狀。結果：32.4%的癲癇患者會產生憂鬱症狀，其中12.2%屬於重度憂鬱症狀。研究發現憂鬱症狀的發生和是否為腦部病變所導致的次發性癲癇有密切的相關；然而和其他的癲癇因子並沒有顯著差異。結論：約有三分之一的癲癇患者產生憂鬱狀態，而造成憂鬱狀態的原因可能與潛在的病因所導致的腦部病變有相關。

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of interictal depressive symptoms and their correlation to seizure variables among patients with epilepsy in a community hospital in Taiwan. Methods: Data on age at onset, duration of epilepsy, seizure type, seizure focus, seizure frequency, antiepileptic medications used, and the etiology of epilepsy for 74 consecutive outpatients with epilepsy (47 male and 27 female; mean age = 35.8± 15.5 years) were recorded. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Results: Twenty-four (32.4%) patients had depressive symptoms, and 9 (12.2%) had major depression. Depressive symptoms occurred often in patients who were symptomatic for epilepsy. Depressive symptoms were not related to age at onset, duration of epilepsy, seizure types, seizure frequency, lateralization of seizure focus, and antiepileptic medication used. Conclusion: Interictal depressive symptoms occurred in about one-third of patients with epilepsy. The association of interictal depression with secondary epilepsy may be particularly prominent, and we propose that interictal depression in epilepsy is an organic mental disorder related to the underlying disease.