Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Epilepsy and Behavior, cilt.176, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Objective: Functional/Dissociative Seizures (FDS) are episodic events resembling epileptic seizures but stemming from psychological origins. They often result in misdiagnosis and suboptimal treatment, significantly impairing patients’ quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and demographic factors associated with short and long term prognosis in FDS. Methods: The primary variables of interest were seizure outcomes at two horizons: short term (status at 6 months after discharge) and long term (status during the last 12 months within 1–10 years post-diagnosis). We defined seizure outcomes as remission vs persistence and change in seizure frequency from baseline, ascertained from VEM records and standardized clinic/telephone follow up. Results: The cohort included 147 patients; short term seizure outcomes were available for 144 and long term seizure outcomes for 138 (median follow-up 6 years; range 1–10). At 6 months, 6.9 % were seizure free; at long term follow up, 37.7 % were seizure free. In short term analysis, only early diagnosis (≤1 year) remained significantly associated with remission after Holm adjustment (p = 0.039). Logistic regression showed that early diagnosis (p = 0.018) and higher age at FDS onset (p = 0.026) independently predicted favorable short term seizure outcomes, whereas the presence of family related stressors was associated with poorer prognosis (p = 0.006). In the long term analysis, family related stressors remained significantly associated with poorer seizure outcomes after Holm adjustment (p = 0.007). Logistic regression further showed that longer FDS episodes (≥5 min) were associated with a more favorable long term seizure outcome (p = 0.027), whereas family related stressors continued to independently predict poorer prognosis (p = 0.002). Conclusions: FDS outcomes are shaped by identifiable psychosocial and clinical factors. Early diagnosis and older age at onset predict favorable short term remission, whereas family related stressors consistently predict poorer outcomes across both time horizons. These findings highlight the prognostic value of early detection and the need to address sustained family related stress in treatment planning.