JLE

Epileptic Disorders

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Recurrent alcohol-induced seizures in a patient with chronic alcohol abuse Volume 10, issue 2, June 2008

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Authors
Department of Neurology, University of Marburg, Germany

Seizures related to alcohol are a common finding, and are usually attributed to alcohol withdrawal, or to a neurotoxic effect of ethanol leading to seizures that are unrelated to acute alcohol consumption or withdrawal. However, there is also evidence for a third kind of alcohol-related seizure: alcohol-induced seizures. We describe a 36-year-old patient who, during the years from 1996–2006, was admitted 27 times with alcohol-induced seizures that occurred during alcohol consumption. Excluding one documented withdrawal seizure, serum ethanol levels at admission were 3.24 ± 0.67%. There were no seizures that were unrelated to alcohol consumption. This case report supports the evidence of a seizure-provoking effect of ethanol that should be considered in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with alcohol-dependency and seizures.