February 1, 2023
1 minute read
Agoraphobia symptoms were common and associated with poor quality of life in adults with epilepsy, whereas generalized anxiety symptoms were not, according to a study published in . epilepsy research.
“Symptoms of agoraphobia do not completely overlap with symptoms of generalized anxiety and depression, which are often screened for in routine practice.” Heidi Marie Munger ClaryMD, MPH, Associate Professor of Neurology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, A related university press release states: “Providers may want to consider more robust symptom screening methods to identify and better assist these patients. may be important for improving health equity, given other significant research findings showing that people with severe phobia/agoraphobia are more likely to have symptoms of severe phobia/agoraphobia.”
A recent study found that agoraphobia symptoms affect quality of life in adults with epilepsy. Source: Adobe Stock
Munger Clary and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 420 adult patients with epilepsy of diverse ethnicities and a range of educational levels. Most of them had focal epilepsy and were being treated with at least two of her antiepileptic drugs. All participants were evaluated over her 14 years at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and phobic symptoms were recorded on the Symptom Checklist 90-R. If the T-score is above her 60, it is considered a high-grade phobia.
Results show that nonwhites (adjusted OR = 2.34), lower education (aOR = 3.38), and generalized anxiety symptoms (aOR = 1.91) are independently associated with high agoraphobia symptoms. . In addition, agoraphobia symptoms were independently correlated with poor quality of life, older age, depressive symptoms, and non-white race/ethnicity.
However, researchers did not report a significant association between generalized anxiety and quality of life.
“When using a screening paradigm focused on generalized anxiety, these impactful symptoms may be overlooked, so clinicians should pay particular attention to susceptible populations and seek a more global approach.” The use of symptom screening measures should be considered,” Munger Clary and colleagues concluded.
