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In a recent issue of the International League Against Epilepsy’s Epigraph, the subject of COVID-19 and people with epilepsy arose following a report shared at the European Epilepsy Congress in Geneva this past July.
At the Congress meeting, Dr. Bernhard J. Steinhoff reported upon two years of data collection to address questions surround the risks of the COVID-19 infection and vaccination, such as:
Q: Does COVID-19 infection increase new-onset seizures or epilepsy incidence in the population?
A: There is no evidence that it does.
Q: Was the COVID-19 pandemic associated with increases in seizure frequency?
A: Yes – but they were not due to infections or vaccinations.
Q: Are people with epilepsy at increased risk for more serious cases of COVID-19 infection?
A: If they are, it is due to comorbidities or other factors – not the epilepsy itself.
September 12, 2022
