Assessing the Association Between Immune Dysfunction Conditions and Epilepsy: An Analysis of the 2021 National Health Interview Survey Data
Sulaiman Abdullah1, Aseel Alamri3, Ahmed assinnari2
1College of Medicine and Surgery, 2Physiology/Neurophysiology, Taibah University, 3Taibah University
Objective:
This study aims to investigate the association between allergies, immune deficiency conditions, and epilepsy, examining whether immune dysfunction contributes to epileptogenesis.
Background:
Immunity plays a crucial role in multifactorial disorders such as epilepsy. Emerging studies suggest a potential association between immune-related disorders and epilepsy, indicating that immune dysfunction may influence its development.
Design/Methods:
We analyzed data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), including 29,843 adults aged 18–99 years. The study explored the association between epilepsy and allergic conditions such as asthma, food allergies, skin allergies, other respiratory allergies, and immune deficiencies from prescription drugs or other health conditions. Descriptive analysis was conducted using the Rao-Scott Chi2 Test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression were applied to adjust for confounders. We utilized Chat GPT 4 to improve clarity and grammar of the text. However, all final content, data interpretations, and conclusions were reviewed and approved by the authors.
Results:
The lifetime prevalence of epilepsy in the U.S. was 1.7%, with no significant age difference between epileptics and non-epileptics (mean age: 49.58 vs. 48.23 years, p = 0.16). Univariate logistic regression showed significant associations between epilepsy and conditions such as asthma (OR = 1.739, [1.352–2.236]), other respiratory allergies (OR = 1.241, [1.009–1.526]), food allergies (OR = 1.812, [1.365–2.406]), skin allergies (OR = 1.469, [1.105–1.953]), weakened immune systems from prescription drugs (OR = 2.943, [2.125–4.074]), and immune conditions due to other health issues (OR = 3.063, [2.237–4.195]). Adjusted regression remained significant for asthma (OR=1.56, p=0.012), food allergies (OR=1.57,p=0.003), weakened immune system from prescription drugs (OR = 1.78, p=0.04) and immune conditions due to other health issues (OR= 1.96, p=0.023).
Conclusions:
Individuals with allergic diseases or immune deficiencies have increased odds of developing epilepsy. Further research is necessary to explore the role of immune dysfunction in the pathogenesis of epilepsy.
Disclaimer: Abstracts were not reviewed by Neurology® and do not reflect the views of Neurology® editors or staff.