ARRHYTHMIA IN THE COURSE OF GENERALISED EPILEPSY OF UNKNOWN ETIOLOGY – A CASE STUDY

Abstract

The aim: To draw attention to the need for careful analysis of patients with epilepsy in terms of the possibility of co-occurring arrhythmia. Material and methods: Analysis of video-EEG registration in the inter-seizure period in a patient with diagnosed epilepsy. Case study: The authors present a 33-year-old patient with generalised epilepsy of unknown etiology diagnosed in childhood. In this subject, generalised seizure discharges without clinical manifestation of epileptic seizure and with concomitant cardiac arrhythmias in the form of atrial fibrillation were recorded during video-EEG registration. This was carried out during the patient’s of hospitalisation at the neurology ward. Conclusions: The case study presented is as an example of existing complex and not fully understood interactions between epilepsy and arrhythmia. A mutation within the SCN1B encoding genes, which is responsible for channelopathy within the voltage-dependent Nav sodium channels, may be considered as a potential cause for this state. However, further analysis and research is needed that would eventually allow to find out the reason for these relationships.