Featured Publications
Mortality among veterans with epilepsy: Temporal significance of traumatic brain injury exposure
Roghani A, Wang C, Henion A, Amuan M, Altalib H, LaFrance W, Baca C, Van Cott A, Towne A, Kean J, Hinds S, Kennedy E, Panahi S, Pugh M. Mortality among veterans with epilepsy: Temporal significance of traumatic brain injury exposure. Epilepsia 2024, 65: 2255-2269. PMID: 39119799, DOI: 10.1111/epi.18026.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTraumatic brain injuryIndex dateTraumatic brain injury exposureDocumented traumatic brain injuryHazard ratioVeterans Health AdministrationConfidence intervalsTraumatic brain injury diagnosisPost-9/11 veteransDefense Health AgencyCox proportional hazards modelsAssociated with earlier timeProportional hazards modelRetrospective cohort studyHealth careHealth AdministrationHealth agenciesCumulative mortality rateInjury exposureMortality riskMortality hazardCohort studyVeteransSignificant mortality riskHazards model
2024
Distinct comorbidity phenotypes among post‐9/11 Veterans with epilepsy are linked to diverging outcomes and mortality risks
Pugh M, Clary H, Myers M, Kennedy E, Amuan M, Swan A, Hinds S, LaFrance W, Altalib H, Towne A, Henion A, White A, Baca C, Wang C. Distinct comorbidity phenotypes among post‐9/11 Veterans with epilepsy are linked to diverging outcomes and mortality risks. Epilepsia 2024 PMID: 39487827, DOI: 10.1111/epi.18170.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchVeterans Health AdministrationCause of deathService membersLatent class analysisPost-9/11 service membersVeterans receiving careContinuity of careInterdisciplinary health teamComorbid phenotypesPost-9/11 veteransOverall patient careMitigate adverse outcomesHealth teamsEpilepsy diagnosisAssociated with mortalityHealth trajectoriesHealth AdministrationPatient carePost-traumatic stress disorderMortality outcomesDescriptive statisticsAnnual diagnosesChronic diseasesNational cohortMortality riskCognitive performance in functional seizures compared with epilepsy and healthy controls: a systematic review and meta analysis
Van Patten R, Austin T, Cotton E, Chan L, Bellone J, Mordecai K, Altalib H, Correia S, Twamley E, Jones R, Sawyer K, LaFrance W. Cognitive performance in functional seizures compared with epilepsy and healthy controls: a systematic review and meta analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry 2024, 11: 516-525. PMID: 38879275, DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(24)00132-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk of biasSystematic reviewHealthy comparisonGlobal cognitionMeta-analysisCognitive performanceDepartment of Veterans AffairsVeterans Health AdministrationFunctional seizuresIndividual studiesCognitive domainsModerate effect sizeProportion of womenNewcastle-Ottawa ScaleLeft temporal lobe epilepsyWeb of ScienceCognitive test dataWidespread cognitive impairmentVeterans AffairsEffects of multiple covariatesHealth AdministrationGrey literatureSeizure groupNewcastle-OttawaInclusion criteriaDoes Discharge Diagnosis Determine Risk of Death? Mortality Following Admission to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (ECoE) Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs) (P10-1.009)
Kellogg M, Amuan M, Hirschey J, LaFrance W, Haneef Z, Altalib H, Rehman R, Pugh M. Does Discharge Diagnosis Determine Risk of Death? Mortality Following Admission to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (ECoE) Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs) (P10-1.009). Neurology 2024, 102 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000204899.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2023
Changes in opioid prescribing in veterans with headache during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A regression discontinuity in time analysis
Wang K, Fenton B, Skanderson M, Black A, Becker W, Seng E, Anthony S, Guirguis A, Altalib H, Kimber A, Lorenze N, Scholten J, Graham G, Sandbrink F, Sico J. Changes in opioid prescribing in veterans with headache during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A regression discontinuity in time analysis. Headache The Journal Of Head And Face Pain 2023, 63: 1295-1303. PMID: 37596904, DOI: 10.1111/head.14605.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMorphine equivalent daily dosesVeterans Health AdministrationNumber of prescriptionsOpioid prescribingOpioid prescriptionsLong-term opioid therapyMME/dayRetrospective cohort studyEquivalent daily dosesCOVID-19 pandemicOpioid therapyPre-pandemic periodCohort studyDaily doseChronic painOutpatient visitsPrevious diagnosisDaily dosesMean ageSubgroup analysisHeadache disordersOpioid accessHealth AdministrationPrescribingCoronavirus diseaseUnderstanding headache classification coding within the veterans health administration using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM in fiscal years 2014–2017
Fodeh S, Fenton B, Wang R, Skanderson M, Altalib H, Kuruvilla D, Schindler E, Haskell S, Brandt C, Sico J. Understanding headache classification coding within the veterans health administration using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM in fiscal years 2014–2017. PLOS ONE 2023, 18: e0279163. PMID: 36598881, PMCID: PMC9812322, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279163.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsVeterans Health AdministrationHeadache diagnosisICD-10-CMICD-10-CM diagnosisICD-10-CM codingSpecialty care clinicsSpecific headache diagnosesICD-9-CM codingDifferent headache typesICD-9-CMRace/ethnicityHeadache comorbidityHeadache NOSPatient ageCare clinicsChronic conditionsHeadache typesProvider typeSociodemographic factorsHealth AdministrationDiagnosisTwo yearsHeadachePatientsMigraine
2021
The Military Injuries: Understanding Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Study: Understanding Relationships among Lifetime Traumatic Brain Injury History, Epilepsy, and Quality of Life
Pugh MJ, Kennedy E, Gugger JJ, Mayo J, Tate D, Swan A, Kean J, Altalib H, Gowda S, Towne A, Hinds S, Van Cott A, Lopez MR, Jaramillo CA, Eapen BC, McCafferty RR, Salinsky M, Cramer J, McMillan KK, Kalvesmaki A, Diaz-Arrastia R, Amuan M, Henion A, Padilla S, McCafferty M, Elizondo B, Wells M. The Military Injuries: Understanding Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Study: Understanding Relationships among Lifetime Traumatic Brain Injury History, Epilepsy, and Quality of Life. Journal Of Neurotrauma 2021, 38: 2841-2850. PMID: 34353118, PMCID: PMC8820288, DOI: 10.1089/neu.2021.0015.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTraumatic brain injuryPost-traumatic epilepsyHistory of TBIQuality of lifeEvidence of TBILifetime traumatic brain injuryMild traumatic brain injuryHealth recordsHealth-related qualityVA medical recordsWorse physical functioningPopulation-based assessmentVeterans Health AdministrationHealth record dataTraumatic brain injury historyBrain injury historyComplex comorbiditiesMedical recordsBrain injuryPhysical functioningTBI severityInjury historyEpilepsyHealth AdministrationEpilepsy studies
2017
Care coordination in epilepsy: Measuring neurologists' connectivity using social network analysis
Altalib HH, Fenton BT, Cheung KH, Pugh MJV, Bates J, Valente TW, Kerns RD, Brandt CA. Care coordination in epilepsy: Measuring neurologists' connectivity using social network analysis. Epilepsy & Behavior 2017, 73: 31-35. PMID: 28605631, DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.05.026.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsVeterans Health AdministrationCare coordinationHealth care providersCare providersVA facilitiesEpilepsy centersSpecialty careEpilepsy careEpilepsy patientsHealth AdministrationFacility levelNumber of providersNeurologistsFacility typeCareProvidersType of facilityMixed modelsSame facilityPatientsEpilepsyAdministration