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UrduThough children spend many hours in school, their teachers often don’t have knowledge about epilepsy. Many are afraid of having students with epilepsy in their classes, which can be a barrier to both effective learning and student inclusion.
Tag: Seizures
World Health Organization unanimously approves plan to improve epilepsy care, reduce stigma
On 27 May 2022, World Health Organization Member States unanimously approved the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders (IGAP) at the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
Addressing status epilepticus management in low-resource regions: “Where do we fit in?”
Low-resource areas face multiple challenges to diagnosing and treating long-lasting seizures, or status epilepticus. We talked with neurologists in four countries about how status epilepticus is managed in their areas.
Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Not Linked to Epilepsy in Children
A new study suggests that antidepressant use by mothers during the first trimester of pregnancy does not increase the chances of epilepsy and seizures in babies. The research is published in the May 11, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The role of the cerebellum in absence seizures
Stimulation of certain cerebellar areas could help combat absence seizures.
Crisis response in Ukraine: National and international efforts to secure medication and care for people with epilepsy
Since the war began in late February, Ukraine neurologists have been committed to helping citizens with epilepsy, many of whom have lost access to medications and regular care.
Seizures in the Canadian Arctic: A public health crisis, hidden in plain sight
He set out to research the effect of polar day-night patterns on seizure frequency and epilepsy. He found something he never expected: a public health crisis in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, relevant to geographically isolated communities and Indigenous peoples.
Seizure forecasting with wrist-worn devices possible for people with epilepsy, study shows
Despite medications, surgery and neurostimulation devices, many people with epilepsy continue to have seizures. The unpredictable nature of seizures is severely limiting. If seizures could be reliably forecast, people with epilepsy could alter their activities, take a fast-acting medication or turn up their neurostimulator to prevent a seizure or minimize its effects.
A new study in Scientific Reports by Mayo Clinic researchers and international collaborators found patterns could be identified in patients who wear a special wristwatch monitoring device for six to 12 months, allowing about 30 minutes of warning before a seizure occurred. This worked well most of the time for five of six patients studied.
Neurosurgery team performs groundbreaking laser hemispherectomy on child with epilepsy
For only the second time in the world, doctors at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital and the Department of Neurosurgery used a minimally invasive surgery to disconnect the right and left sides of the brain, stopping the seizures for a boy with epilepsy.
Task force gives guidance on classifying neonatal seizures – An ILAE podcast
ILAE has published guidelines on classifying seizures and epilepsies, but those classifications don’t account for seizures in newborn babies. Two ILAE task forces spent several years on a position paper that modifies the seizure and epilepsy classifications for neonatal seizures.
Case Western Reserve researchers identify potential new approach to better controlling epileptic seizures
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University have identified a potential new approach to better controlling epileptic seizures. Lin Mei, professor and chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, who led the new study in mouse models, said the team found a new chemical reaction that could help control epileptic seizures.
Con cualquier otro nombre: Mejorar el acceso al tratamiento y reducir el estigma en las convulsiones psicógenas no epilépticas
Al igual que la epilepsia, los episodios paroxísticos no epilépticos (EPNE) interfieren en la vida personal, familiar y social de los pacientes.
¿Cómo llamar a los trastornos paroxísticos no epilépticos?
Se llaman convulsiones, ataques, eventos, episodios pero no son epilepsia. Conocidos por varios nombres, que incluyen convulsiones disociativas, episodios paroxísticos no epilépticos (EPNE) y convulsiones funcionales, pueden ser difíciles de identificar.
ILAE’s virtual conferences bring the latest in epilepsy to your laptop
Our Asian & Oceanian Epilepsy Congress, June 10-13, covers it all: social issues, diagnosis, treatment, research, and more. Anyone, anywhere can get a top-level, multi-day epilepsy conference delivered to their home or office and participate at their convenience.
Par une nouvelle dénomination: Améliorer l’accès aux soins et réduire les stigmas des crises psychogènes non épileptiques
Comme l’épilepsie, les crises non épileptiques psychogènes (CNEP) ont des conséquences sur la scolarisation, l’emploi et l’autonomie.
Podcast – Persistent seizures: How to use the ketogenic diet for super-refractory status epilepticus
A recent paper in Neurology Clinical Practice offers practical considerations for using the ketogenic diet in patients with seizures that last more than 24 hours, a condition known as super-refractory status epilepticus. ILAE spoke with two of the authors – dietitian Neha Kaul and epileptologist Joshua Laing.
Podcast – Dieta cetogénica y estatus epiléptico súper refractario
Un artículo reciente en “Neurology Clinical Practice” ofrece consideraciones prácticas para el empleo de la dieta cetogénica en pacientes con estatus epiléptico superrefractario. La ILAE habló con dos de los autores del artículo. (Podcast en ingles; transcripcion en español.)
La dieta cetogénica para el estado epiléptico superrefractario
La dieta cetogénica está emergiendo como una opción de tratamiento potencial para todas las etapas del estado epiléptico (SE), incluido el estado epiléptico refractario y superrefractario.
The ketogenic diet for super-refractory status epilepticus
The ketogenic diet is emerging as a potential treatment option for all stages of status epilepticus, a condition in which seizures persist for more than several minutes.
Is this your brain on Mozart? Music, seizures, and epilepsy
A recent one-year study found a 35% decrease in seizure frequency in people with epilepsy who listened to an excerpt of Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos. Research in animal models also suggests that music has multiple effects on the brain.
Ketogenic diets in low-resource settings: Experience in Zambia
More than 75 countries now have at least one ketogenic diet center for the treatment of epilepsy, but most centers are located in high-resource countries. How can lower-income countries establish the ketogenic diet, and what considerations are they facing?
Food for thought: The ketogenic diet as epilepsy treatment
Treating epilepsy with diet is not a new concept, but it’s gained popularity and credibility in the past 25 years.
New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE): Awareness and research
This rare but life-threatening condition is often due to an autoimmune response. Speedier diagnosis and more effective treatments are priorities.
Microglia Might Lessen Seizure Severity in Epilepsy
New research in mice highlights the potential protective effect of microglia—a type of non-neuronal cell in the brain—against overactivation of the central nervous system during acute epileptic seizures. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology.
North American Virtual Epilepsy Congress September 24-27
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.
Will the COVID-19 pandemic give a permanent boost to telemedicine for epilepsy care?
Telemedicine for epilepsy care is more popular than ever. It has many advantages—but can it sustain itself into the future?
Higher hopes for seizure freedom in epilepsy: Setting the record straight
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.
Can community-based interventions help to close the epilepsy treatment gap?
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%.
Suspended studies and virtual lab meetings: How the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting epilepsy researchers
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.
A deeper dive into epilepsy: Integrating tools for characterizing focal cortical dysplasia
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.
Bridging the information gap with new EEG techniques for epilepsy
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.
Improving treatment for psychogenic seizures: “This is a group of patients that we are taking less seriously”
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.”
From bench to beach: Award-winning epilepsy researcher furthers understanding of how cannabidiol stops seizures
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 don’t stop: What’s the latest in treating status epilepticus?
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.
In epilepsy, seizures are often frightening. What happens afterward can be worse.
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.
Post-ictal psychosis: A medical emergency for people with epilepsy
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.
Hold the phone: Smartphone video makes it easier to diagnose epilepsy and psychogenic seizures
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?
Reducing the epilepsy treatment gap in Pakistan: Start small, stay flexible, never give up
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.
Epilepsy education at Disneyland: Spreading awareness, changing lives
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.”
Head-to-Head Comparison Finds Three Anti-Seizure Drugs Equally Effective for Severe Form of Epilepsy
A new clinical trial in the emergency department finds no difference in efficacy or adverse effects of three commonly used treatments for patients with refractory status epilepticus.
How to improve epilepsy care in Africa? Include traditional healers, schoolchildren and the guy next door
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.
Parents of adults with epilepsy: Caregiving without a net
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.
Screening for depression in people with epilepsy: Improve care, save lives
Any neurologist who sees patients with epilepsy also sees patients with undiagnosed depression. A simple screening tool can improve outcomes and save lives.
The other side of seizure freedom: “I kind of wish my epilepsy was back”
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.
Epilepsy is a threat to public health, says international report
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.
Epilepsy is a threat to public health, says international report
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.