Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Epilepsy Evaluations in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Background. Seizures are a common cause of evaluation in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Several studies about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on ED attendances report a considerable reduction in general pediatric care. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the admission to the pediatric ED for seizures.

Materials and methods. We performed a retrospective study to assess the rate of ED admission for seizures at the pediatric ED of the Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico of Milan between January 2017 and December 2021, comparing the pre-pandemic (from January 2017 to February 2020) and pandemic periods (from March 2020 to December 2021).

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Key information

Conditions

Epilepsy Brain Diseases COVID-19 Central Nervous System Diseases Coronaviridae Infections Coronavirus Infections Disease Attributes Emergencies Emergency Services, Hospital Infections Lung Diseases Nervous System Diseases Nidovirales Infections Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pneumonia Pneumonia, Viral RNA Virus Infections Respiratory Tract Diseases Respiratory Tract Infections Virus Diseases

Age range

1 month–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Pediatric Emergency Department Clinica de Marchi, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico

Milan, Italy

Who can participate

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

age: 1 months to 17 years
sex: all
with at least one access to the Pediatric ED of the hospital for seizures

Exclusion criteria

children who received a diagnosis of seizure on admission in triage that was not confirmed at discharge (breath-holding spell, fainting…).

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

During the study period, 1,091 patients with seizures were admitted to pediatric ED, 776 before the pandemic and 315 during the pandemic. In particular, the evaluation rates per month were 20.4 before the pandemic and 14.3 afterward

Time frame: the pre-pandemic (from January 2017 to February 2020) and pandemic periods (from March 2020 to December 2021)

Secondary outcomes

Patients with a history of previous seizures showed a greater decrease in the monthly number of ED visits compared to those with a first seizure. An increased rate of unprovoked seizures and a decreased rate of provoked ones were observed in the pandemic

Time frame: the pre-pandemic (from January 2017 to February 2020) and pandemic periods (from March 2020 to December 2021)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2022
Primary completion: 2022
Study completion: 2022
First posted: Mar 6, 2024
Registry last updated: Mar 6, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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