Post-traumatic Epilepsy, 33 Years Following Traumatic Brain Injury: Iraq vs. Iran War

Post-traumatic epilepsy is one of the most common and disabling sequels of traumatic brain injury and is defined as repeated unprovoked seizures seven days after traumatic brain injury. The present study aimed to determine the late consequences of epilepsy in veterans with traumatic brain injury during the imposed Iran-Iraq war.
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This study was observational cohort research in 2022. The sample of the study included all living veterans with a history of Post-traumatic epilepsy who were covered by the services of the "Veterans Affairs Foundation" of Isfahan, Iran. 218 veterans with epilepsy, who were available, were identified, 100 of them had a traumatic brain injury, and 118 did not have any traumatic brain injury. Data were collected using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (IADL-PSMS).

There was a significant difference between veterans with and without traumatic brain injuries in the age at post-traumatic epilepsy debut (p<0.05). Epilepsy characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups (p>0.05). The mean score of MMSE in veterans with and without traumatic brain injuries was significantly different (p<0.05). The Recall and Registration subscales were significantly different in veterans with/without traumatic brain injuries (p<0.05).

The ability to perform daily activities and cognitive function are lower in veterans with epilepsy with traumatic brain injuries compared to veterans with epilepsy without traumatic brain injuries.