Seizure etiologies in a Veterans' Affairs Medical Center population

The purpose of this study is to determine the etiologies of seizures in a Veterans' Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) population. We retrospectively reviewed the records of all VAMC patients discharged from the Northport VAMC who carried a diagnosis of recent or prior seizures. We divided cases into those who received at least one inpatient or outpatient psychiatric evaluation (n = 51) and nonpsychiatric cases (n = 38). Overall etiologies for seizures were substance abuse (22; 24.7%), idiopathic or indeterminate causes (15;16.9%), stroke (18; 20.2%), head trauma (14; 15.7%), and other causes (15; 16.9%). Head trauma and idiopathic/indeterminate causes were significantly more common in the psychiatric group (p <.001) while stroke was more common in the nonpsychiatric group (p <.001). Substance abuse, stroke, and head trauma are the most common identifiable etiologies of seizures in a VAMC population.