Objective The purpose of the current study was to collect the data on the occurrence of seizures in patients with COVID-19 and to clarify the circumstances of the occurrence of seizures in these patients. Methods All consecutive patients who referred to healthcare facilities anywhere in Fars province (located in South Iran with a population of 4.851 million people) from February 19 until June 2, 2020, and had confirmed COVID-19 by positive result on polymerase chain reaction testing and seizure were included. Results During the study period, 6,147 people had confirmed COVID-19 in Fars province, Iran; 110 people died from the illness (case fatality rate 1.79%). During this time period, five people had seizures (seizure rate 0.08%). In four patients, seizure was one of the presenting manifestations, and in one person, it happened during the course of hospital admission. Two patients had status epilepticus. All patients experienced hypoxemia and four of them needed respirator. Two patients had related metabolic derangements and one had cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lymphocytic pleocytosis. Brain imaging was abnormal in three patients. Four patients died. Conclusion New-onset seizures in critically ill patients with COVID-19 should be considered as acute symptomatic seizures and the treating physician should try to determine the etiology of the seizure and manage the cause immediately and appropriately. Detailed clinical, neurological, imaging, and electrophysiological investigations and attempts to isolate SARS-CoV-2 from CSF may clarify the role played by this virus in causing seizures in these patients.

Objective To investigate the effects of COVID‐19 pandemic on patients' perceptions of hardship in obtaining their drugs and if this pandemic and the social restrictions in response to that has resulted in any changes in their seizure control status. We also investigated factors potentially associated with the perceptions of difficulty in obtaining their drugs (eg, polytherapy vs monotherapy, taking imported drugs, and seizure status worsening). Methods We surveyed a random sample of patients with epilepsy, who were registered in our database at Shiraz Epilepsy Center, Iran, on their perceptions on two issues: (a) What has been your experience on obtaining your antiseizure medications in the past 4 weeks (compared to before)? (b) Have you experienced any changes in your seizure control status in the past 4 weeks? Results We included 100 patients (53 male and 47 female patients). In response to the question “Have you had any difficulties in the past 4 weeks to obtain your drugs?,” 31 people (31%) expressed hardship obtaining their drugs. In response to the question “How has been your seizure control status compared with before?,” six people (6%) expressed worsening of their seizure control status in the past 4 weeks. None of the patients reported symptoms of coronavirus infection. Conclusion About one‐third of patients with epilepsy expressed significant hardship obtaining their drugs after the intensification of the COVID‐19 outbreak in Iran. The current COVID‐19 pandemic could be considered as a major shock to a nation that has already been under significant pressure (ie, Iran).

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