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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Seizure‐related injuries (SRI) constitute one of the major areas of concern in managing people with epilepsy. Of those, the ones with generalized tonic‐clonic seizures and drop attacks, are prone to sustain motor vehicle accidents, falls, burns, drowning, fractures, soft tissue and head injuries. Hence, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of SRI among patients seen at Amanuel Specialized Mental Hospital, Ethiopia.
Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted at a regular seizure follow up clinic. A total of 298 patients above 15 years of age were included in this study. Patients' socio-demographic and clinical data were collected based on interview and record review. Descriptive statistics were done and multivariable logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of SRI with adjusted odds ratio and corresponding confidence interval. A p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: A total of 298 patients were included in this study. Of these, 34.9% were reported to have SRI. Lacerations (54.2%), burn (19.8%) and dental-loss (15.8%) were the most common type of injuries. There was a 2.2-fold increase in the odds of SRI among those in grades 1-6 educational levels (AOR=2.19, 95% CI (1.04-4.54)), and a lower risk of SRI was found among those who could read and write (AOR=0.11, 95% CI (0.13-0.86)).
Conclusions: The study documented significant level of SRI among the study population with varied levels of severity. To minimize SRI ,it is essential to target the above predictors through proper surveillance system in the follow-up clinics with continuous advocacy work to the family and working environment.
Available: https://emjema.org/index.php/EMJ/article/view/937/900
Language: en |