Articles Tagged With: Epilepsy
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Epilepsy in Frontotemporal Dementia
This Finnish case-control study explores the relationship between frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and epilepsy, revealing that individuals with FTD have a higher prevalence of epilepsy compared to those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and healthy controls. The findings suggest that epilepsy may precede FTD diagnosis and is more common in FTD than previously recognized, highlighting the need for broader research and clinical awareness of this comorbidity.
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Telemedicine for Managing Patients with Epilepsy
This retrospective study found telemedicine (TM) visits to be noninferior to in-person (IP) visits for key outpatient epilepsy care outcomes, including medication adjustment, surgery discussions, and avoiding emergency visits. TM was less effective for assessing the neurologic exam, and seizure freedom rates were inconclusive with respect to noninferiority. Although not a full replacement for IP care, TM remains an effective option since its future in healthcare delivery is being reassessed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Medications for Women Aged 10 to 50 Years with Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy
After failure of first-line anti-seizure medication, women with idiopathic generalized epilepsy may receive either substitution monotherapy or add-on therapy. There were no significant differences in effectiveness or safety between substitution monotherapy and add-on therapy in this retrospective comparative study.
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Post-Traumatic Epilepsy and the Risk of Dementia
A subset of people with head injury will develop post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). This prospective cohort study demonstrated a 4.5-fold increased risk of dementia in those with PTE compared to people without head trauma or epilepsy, and that this risk exceeds that observed in people with head trauma or epilepsy alone.
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Psychiatric Comorbidities in Persons with Epilepsy
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the prevalence of most psychiatric disorders was significantly higher in persons with epilepsy than in those without epilepsy. These findings show the high burden of psychiatric comorbidities in persons with epilepsy and underscore the importance of appropriately identifying and treating psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy patients.
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Epilepsy and Cardiovascular Events
This large prospective cohort study found that older adults with a lifetime history of epilepsy were more likely to experience cardiovascular events (CVEs), and that enzyme-inducing antiseizure medications (EIASMs) may account for a significant portion of this risk. The findings suggest a potential causal link between epilepsy treated with EIASMs and CVE, highlighting the need for careful medication selection in epilepsy management.
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Epilepsy and Cardiovascular Events
This large prospective cohort study found that older adults with a lifetime history of epilepsy were more likely to experience cardiovascular events (CVEs), and that enzyme-inducing antiseizure medications (EIASMs) may account for a significant portion of this risk. The findings suggest a potential causal link between epilepsy treated with EIASMs and CVE, highlighting the need for careful medication selection in epilepsy management.
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What Is the Best First-Line Treatment for Young Women with Generalized Epilepsy?
Valproate is a highly efficacious drug for treating idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) but is not an option for many young women because of known teratogenic risks. This retrospective, multicenter study examined women with IGE who were treated initially with either levetiracetam or lamotrigine monotherapy, demonstrated superior efficacy of levetiracetam, although exclusively in women with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
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Doxycycline for Onchocerciasis-Related Epilepsy?
Nodding syndrome is a form of pediatric encephalopathy with epilepsy that is associated with Onchocerca volvulus infection in children in Africa. While the pathogenesis is not known, doxycycline helps reduce severe seizures and death in children with nodding syndrome.
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Seizures in Adolescents: Motor or Nonmotor?
The rate at which motor vs. nonmotor seizures are recognized in adolescents is unknown. This retrospective analysis demonstrates a high rate of misrecognition of nonmotor seizures among adolescents presenting to an emergency department and frequent misrecognition of any nonmotor seizures in those presenting with a first-time motor seizure.