Articles related to EPILEPSY/SEIZURES

A chart review of 81 million individuals yielded two matched groups of more than 150,000 patients each: one with COVID and the other with influenza. In these populations, the risk of seizures and epilepsy was higher in the COVID group. The HR of epilepsy after COVID compared with influenza was highest in individuals who were not hospitalized and in those under the age of 16.

In this study of 243 adolescent and adult patients, addition of Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) to standard drug therapy netted seizure reduction of >50% in 26% of patients in the intervention arm versus 2.5% in the control group.

Overall, studies on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) counseling emphasize the importance of patient and family education and agree on its content and process. Future research should look into how it affects epilepsy management and the psychosocial well-being of adults and children with epilepsy and their caregivers from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as well as SUDEP rates. In this regard, the impact of newer technologies and health-care models should be assessed. Although the scientific community is hard at work elucidating the pathophysiology and prevention strategy of this dreaded occurrence, such longitudinal studies have the potential to inform both practice and policy, as well as act as a catalyst in bridging the currently existing gap between family-desired and clinician-provided counseling.

It wasn’t carpal tunnel. It wasn’t just anxiety, and Ed wasn’t having a stroke. Even after a complete neurological assessment, it wasn’t “mild cognitive impairment.” For months, Ed’s life was plagued with psychiatric and movement disorders that puzzled his wife and his physicians. Read the narrative about how Ed was finally diagnosed, what happened next, and where he is now.

This prospective cohort study measured cardiac arrhythmias in patients with chronic drug-resistant epilepsy. Using subcutaneous cardiac monitors programmed to record episodes of tachycardia, bradycardia, or asystole ≥3 seconds, 90% of study patients had episodes of sustained tachycardia, 25% had bradycardia and nearly 10% had asystole.

In this multicenter study, adult patients with status epilepticus were randomized into levetiracetam (LEV) or fosphenytoin (FPHT) as a second-line treatment after diazepam. The authors conclude that LEV may be recommended as a second-line treatment for SE along with phenytoin/FPHT.