News From the Cause
Seizure Disorder Diagnosed Later in Veterans Than Civilians: Study (U.S.News & World Report)
September 09, 2011
TUESDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Veterans who suffer emotion-related seizures that are not caused by epilepsy can go undiagnosed for much longer than civilians with the condition, according to a new study.
This condition -- known as psychogenic non-epileptic seizure -- is believed to have a psychological origin and is different from epilepsy, but diagnosis can be difficult because the two types of seizures are similar in appearance, explained Dr. Martin Salinsky, of the Portland VA Medical Center and Oregon Health and Sciences University.
He and his colleagues reviewed the medical records of 50 veterans and 50 civilians who were diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. It took an average of five years from the start of symptoms for veterans to be diagnosed, compared with about one year for civilians.
In nearly 60 percent of the veterans, the seizures had been attributed to traumatic brain injury, which can lead to epilepsy. Click here to view more
