CHRONOBIOLOGY OF EPILEPSY: SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN BIRTH RATES

Abstract

The aim was to study the seasonal birth rates of epileptic patients.Materials and methods. Case reports of 6934 patients with epilepsy in three districts of Moscow and one medical center were analyzed. The distribution of patients according to the forms of epilepsy was conducted in agreement with the ILAE classification (2017): genetic generalized – 1475 (21.27%); structural focal – 3972 (57.28%) and unspecified – 1487 (21.45%). Results. The minimal seasonal rate of birth of epileptic patients, regardless of the form of the disease, was in the autumn. The maximal rate of birth occurred in July: 18.4% more epileptic patients were born in summer than in autumn.Conclusion. Considering the children born after pregnancy of normal duration, the autumn (October) is the least favorable season for conception as far as the chances of epilepsy in these children are concerned.

Keywords

• chronobiology
• circadian rhythm
• geomagnetic activity
• seasonal variations
• genetic epilepsy
• structural epilepsy
• generalized epilepsy
• focal epilepsy