Mortality in a cohort of patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

Some evidence suggests that psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are associated with increased mortality. The authors obtained death certificate information in a cohort of 260 patients who presented with PNES between 1999 and 2004. The follow-up period averaged 7.

Clinical differences between patients with nonepileptic seizures who report antecedent sexual abuse and those who do not.

Purpose: To investigate clinical differences between patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) who report antecedent sexual abuse, and patients who do not.

Methods: In a consecutive series of 176 patients with video-EEG confirmed PNES without epilepsy, we compared patients who reported antecedent sexual abuse with those who did not report sexual abuse, in respect of a range of demographic and clinical variables.

Results: Fifty-nine women (45%) and 5 men (11%) reported sexual abuse.

Late onset psychogenic nonepileptic attacks.

Objective: To investigate differences between groups of patients with early vs late onset psychogenic nonepileptic attacks (PNEA).

Methods: The authors compared patients with onset of PNEA after age 55 years (n = 26) to patients whose onset of PNEA was before age 55 years (n = 241). The authors examined sociodemographic variables, factors potentially predisposing to PNEA, clinical semiology, and medical and psychiatric background.