Seizures in Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome: The Relevance of Smoking to Stroke

Abstract EN

|Objectives.

To evaluate the frequency of seizures in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) and their possible clinical and laboratory associations.

Methods.

Eighty-eight PAPS patients (Sydney’s criteria) were analyzed by a standard interview, physical examination and review of medical charts.

Risk factors for seizures, clinical manifestations, associated comorbidities, and antiphospholipid antibodies were evaluated.

Results.

Nine (10.2%) patients with seizures were identified, 77.8% had convulsions onset after PAPS diagnosis.

Mean age, gender, and race were comparable in groups with or without seizures.

Interestingly, a higher frequency of current smoking (44.4 versus 10.1%, P=0.019) was observed in the first group.

Stroke, Sneddon’s syndrome, and livedo reticularis were more frequent in PAPS patients with seizures than those without seizures, although not statistically significant (P>0.05).

Comparison between patients with seizures onset after PAPS diagnosis (n=7) and those without convulsions (n=79) demonstrated a higher frequency of current smoking (42.9 versus 10%, P=0.042) and stroke in the first group (71.4 versus 30.4%, P=0.041).

Regression analysis confirmed that smoking (P=0.030) and stroke (P=0.042) were independently associated to seizures.

Conclusion.

About 10.2% of PAPS patients had convulsions, predominantly after PAPS diagnosis, and seizures were associated to current smoking and stroke.