Objectives:

Systemic autoimmune diseases are known to affect the central nervous system not rarely . Many studies have investigated the association between epilepsy and autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to determine the association between the gender/ age and seizures of patients with epilepsy with concomitant autoimmune diseases and to determine the seizure types of these patients and to evaluate the EEG results and their response to antiepileptic drugs. Patient files were retrospectively reviewed to identify those with autoimmune diseases.

Methods:

A total of 2000 patient files with epilepsy who were admitted to the Eskişehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty Hospital Neurology Department, Clinicial Neurophysiology Division, between 2007 and 2019 were examined and the patients with concomitant autoimmune diseases were documented.

Results:

Thirty-six (1.8%) of the 2000 patients with epilepsy had autoimmune disorders, of which 10 (0.5%) had concomitant Hashimoto Thyroiditis, 1 (0.05%) had Celiac disease, 1 (0.05%) had Primary Central Nervous System Vasculitis, 8 (0.4%) had Multiple Sclerosis (MS), 1 (0.05%) had Scleroderma, 4 (0.2%) had Behçet’s disease, 1 (0.05%) had Sjogren syndrome, 8 had (0.4%) both SLE and APS , and 2 (0.1%) had Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (Type 1 DM).

Conclusion:

Female sex and focal seizures were seen mostly in patients with epilepsy with concomitant multiple sclerosis. Patients with concomitant SLE+APS were also predominantly females, with the majority having Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures and a more successful response to treatment. These results corroborate with previous studies.

Keywords: Autoimmune disorders, epilepsy, seizure