This rare but life-threatening condition is often due to an autoimmune response. Speedier diagnosis and more effective treatments are priorities.
The ILAE/IBE congresses attract clinicians, researchers, policymakers and advocates from around the world to hear about the latest research and treatment advances in epilepsy.
Telemedicine for epilepsy care is more popular than ever. It has many advantages—but can it sustain itself into the future?
It's been said that after two failed anti-seizure medications, chances for seizure freedom drop to less than 5%. This error arose nearly two decades ago and needs to be corrected, says a letter in the journal Epilepsia - chances are actually much higher.
More than 50 million people have epilepsy; about 80% live in lower- or middle-income countries, where diagnosis and treatment can be difficult or impossible. The percentage of people with epilepsy that is not receiving treatment is known as the treatment gap; in some countries, this gap exceeds 90%.
How was epilepsy research forced to morph during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic? Researchers from 11 countries shared their experiences and thoughts on the future of laboratory research, clinical trials, and in-person conferences.
Journal Prize winner Zhong Ying integrated genetics, clinical presentation, EEG, MRI, and histopathological diagnosis in a group of people with drug-resistant epilepsy. All had a specific type of brain lesion that can be difficult to identify.
Journal Prize winner Ana Coito is developing methods to extract information from EEG readings about brain connectivity and information exchange. Her award-winning research focused on applying these methods to low-density EEG readings, which would make them accessible to more regions of the world.
Journal Prize winner Jesse A. Pfammatter found that certain EEG patterns that indicate absence epilepsy may hold more information than previously thought.
Journal prize winner Benjamin Tolchin tested motivational interviewing to help people with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) start and continue psychotherapy. Often mistaken for epilepsy, these seizures cause serious problems, yet many health care professionals discount them as "not real."
Lyndsey Anderson traveled halfway around the world to do epilepsy research in Sydney, Australia. Recently, she was awarded ILAE's 2020 Epilepsia Prize for Basic Science Research.
When seizures last longer than about 5 minutes--a condition called status epilepticus--emergency treatment is required. About two-thirds of people respond to initial treatment with benzodiazepines, but the others need a second drug. Which drug to choose is a matter of some debate.
Seizure control is the primary driver of epilepsy treatment. For many people with epilepsy, however, the seizures themselves are secondary to what comes after: fatigue, memory loss and other issues that dramatically affect their lives.
About 70% of people with epilepsy report post-seizure (post-ictal) complications, ranging from fatigue to memory issues to headache. Post-ictal psychosis while rare, is perhaps the most dramatic of these. As many as 7% of people with temporal lobe epilepsy develop PIP, which can cause suicidal behavior or interpersonal violence. The condition requires immediate attention and treatment.
What if there was a tool to help with faster, more accurate diagnosis of both psychogenic seizures and epilepsy? And what if this tool was simpler and less expensive than video EEG, and available almost everywhere?
In retrospect, Pakistan's effort to reduce the treatment gap can appear painstakingly planned, like the blueprints for a shopping complex or a neighborhood. But the secret of the country's success is not rooted in elaborate planning. Nor did it rely on generous funding or government support.
At Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland, thousands of families and physicians mix epilepsy education, information, and advocacy with enjoying a day at "the happiest place on earth."
Medication controls seizures in many people with epilepsy. The drugs are not a cure, but seizures don't always last a lifetime. After years without seizures, is it safe for some people to gradually come off their medications?
With a little time, some information and a few questions, neurologists can help women with epilepsy make choices about birth control, folic acid supplements, and pregnancy.
About 600,000 women with epilepsy become pregnant each year. Careful management of anti-seizure medications can reduce risks to both mother and baby.
In Mozambique, most people with epilepsy don’t seek treatment. So the country took on an intimidating challenge: Diagnose and treat more people by increasing awareness, reducing stigma, improving medication access, and partnering with traditional healers.
When an adult child is diagnosed with epilepsy, their parents face a wide array of social, emotional and financial issues, often with very little support. Striking a balance between caring for their child and allowing independence can be difficult and frustrating.
Any neurologist who sees patients with epilepsy also sees patients with undiagnosed depression. A simple screening tool can improve outcomes and save lives.
Epilepsy affects entire families, with impacts on caregivers' physical health, emotional functioning, social relationships, employment and finances. Caregivers and siblings are at risk for post-traumatic stress. Here's how one family works to channel their stress and frustration into helping others.
Being a parent or sibling of someone with epilepsy is life changing. Family members share their stories.
Epilepsy affects entire families. Research shows that uncontrolled seizures can lead to the development of PTSD in caregivers and siblings. Family members also may struggle with anxiety and depression, as well as guilt and fear.
It might seem that there’s no downside to successful epilepsy surgery. Who wouldn’t want to be free of seizures that limit their life? But there are challenges to seizure freedom after years of living with epilepsy. The “burden of normality” can disrupt a person’s life and their relationships.
Worldwide, more than 50 million people are living with epilepsy. As many as 37 million are not receiving treatment, though it can cost as little as US$5 a year and eliminates seizures about two-thirds of the time. These findings and many others are published in "Epilepsy: A public health imperative", a report produced by ILAE, the World Health Organization and the International Bureau for Epilepsy.
An increasing number of studies are finding intimate communication between the gut and brain, as well as complex interplay among the gut microbiome, the brain and the rest of the body. But does the gut affect epilepsy? More specifically, can certain populations of bacteria predispose to seizures, and can we harness the power of the microbiome to stop seizures?
En abril, Paraguay celebró su primera Semana de la Epilepsia. El concepto de una semana de epilepsia, que se puso a prueba en Bolivia en 2015, incluye actividades científicas, sociales y culturales para crear conciencia sobre la epilepsia y su importancia como centro de atención de la salud pública.
Paraguay held its first Epilepsy Week in April, with scientific, social and cultural activities to raise awareness of epilepsy and its importance as a focus of public health.
Classifying seizures and types of epilepsy is something like creating another language - one that's used by physicians, patients and policymakers. How do these classifications change over time, and why is it sometimes difficult to reach consensus?
Epilepsy surgery that stops seizures is usually considered successful. However, surgical consequences -- such as cognitive issues, depression, and anxiety -- can affect quality of life. And some struggle with the 'burden of normality' that comes from no longer having seizures.
The International League Against Epilepsy's Task Force for Epilepsy Education has developed a roadmap for a competency-based curriculum in epileptology. The curriculum is meant to address educational gaps and strengthen the knowledge of all health professionals who care for people with epilepsy.
Though the success rate of epilepsy surgery can be higher than 80% for certain seizure types, only a small fraction of people with drug-resistant epilepsy are referred for surgical evaluation. A study of 185 people with epilepsy, all seen at clinics in Germany, investigated why this might be.
It’s just after Valentine’s Day, 2016. Audrey Bart, age 41, is rushed to an emergency room in Cape Town, South Africa, for unexplained paralysis. Over the next week, she begins having seizures. A logical conclusion might be that Audrey has epilepsy. But that's not what's going on.
The University of Sfax Master’s program in epileptology has educated hundreds of physicians from Tunisia and a handful of other countries, combining e-learning with hands-on training.
Nina Pye was a college student in the United Kingdom when she began collapsing. After months of tests and frustration, she learned she had psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. That wasn't the end of the story; it was only the beginning.
At 13 years old, Franci van den Berg was already a driven student and athlete in South Africa. She attended elite schools and pushed herself to succeed. A few weeks after starting high school, Franci began having panic-like attacks. She was diagnosed with anxiety and prescribed medication. A few months later, her cousin was killed by a drunk driver. It all went downhill from there.
Franci van den Berg and Nina Pye live 13,500 kilometers apart: one at the southern tip of Africa, the other in London. Both young women have spent years grappling with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and their physical, psychological, emotional and social consequences.
While the prevalence of epilepsy has not changed over the past 25 years, lower-income countries are still saddled with a large treatment gap that results in higher levels of death and disability. The conclusions are part of a rigorous global analysis published in the February 14 issue of Lancet Neurology.
As many as 50% of children with epilepsy and 20% of adults carry an ADHD diagnosis. Package inserts for ADHD medications warn of the drugs’ potential to lower the seizure threshold. However, there are few empirical data on the risk of seizures at therapeutic doses.
Combine one cup of seizure stigma with two cups of stigma around mental health conditions. Add a teaspoon of scorn, a dash of societal judgment and mix well.
Each year, 1 in every 10 people with epilepsy is injured during a seizure, according to a community-based study using registry data from Tasmania.
Mónica Patricia Molina ha presentado crisis epilépticas desde hace 28 años, muchas de ellas en espacios públicos. Actualmente, a los 42 años, tiene temor de salir de su casa.
From patent medicines to the discovery of the body's own endocannabinoid system - listen to Raphael Mechoulam as he talks about the history of cannabis research.
Social anxiety disorder causes excessive fear of judgment or humiliation. A study of people with epilepsy in Colombia found that nearly 30% could have the condition, which may stem from worries about having a seizure in public.
Marijuana (cannabis) has been used for thousands of years, both recreationally and medicinally. What do we know about its active compounds and how they work in the body, and how is cannabis research affecting epilepsy treatment?
A genome-wide study of nearly 45,000 people has identified 16 regions of DNA associated with epilepsy. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Consortium on Complex Epilepsies did the analysis, which is the largest of its kind. It was published in a recent issue of Nature Communications.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a key part of epilepsy diagnosis and treatment. Yet many Asian countries have limited access to EEG and a lack of experienced technologists and readers.
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