China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Epilepsy/Seizures
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
Epilepsy, or seizure disorder, is characterized by recurring seizures and is the fourth most common neurological disorder. Common causes of epilepsy are idiopathic (65% of cases), vascular abnormalities (11%), congenital malformations (8%), and trauma (5%).1 A person is diagnosed with epilepsy if they have two unprovoked seizures not caused by some known and reversible medical condition like alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar. There are two main types of seizures: (1) generalized seizures affect the whole brain and (2) partial or focal seizures that affect just one part of the brain. A generalized seizure that causes loss of awareness or control can be dangerous, leading to vehicular accidents, falls, drownings, etc.
Seizures
Published in Alexander R. Toftness, Incredible Consequences of Brain Injury, 2023
It is understandably startling when an unprovoked seizure happens to a person for the first time but, from a neurological perspective, a single unprovoked seizure is not always worrying. However, if a person has two or more unprovoked seizures spread across multiple days, or if they have one seizure and appear to be at great risk for having another one, then they may be diagnosed with epilepsy. There are also some types of provoked seizures, such as those caused by flashing lights (i.e., photosensitive seizures) that are considered to be a type of epilepsy called reflex epilepsy (Fisher et al., 2014). When diagnosed with epilepsy, it is very important that effort be put into preventing future seizures in order to avoid the side effects discussed below.
Introduction: Epilepsy
Published in Candace M. Kent, David M. Chan, Analysis of a Model for Epilepsy, 2022
Candace M. Kent, David M. Chan
The causes of epilepsy are diverse, and include brain insults (e.g., due to trauma and febrile illness) and an array of neurological disorders, including stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. However, an individual's epilepsy can simply be idiopathic (i.e., without a known cause) or cryptogenic (i.e., with a hidden cause) [3].
Effects of intestinal flora on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs
Published in Drug Metabolism Reviews, 2023
Amina Džidić-Krivić, Jasna Kusturica, Emina Karahmet Sher, Nejra Selak, Nejra Osmančević, Esma Karahmet Farhat, Farooq Sher
Epilepsy is one of the most emerging health problems in the modern world and quite often, the standard therapy protocols that are being used in clinical practice do not have the effect that is expected. In addition, one of the main issues is the development of drug-resistant epilepsy. Recent studies proposed that the gut microbiota composition, affected by an unhealthy diet is one of the important reasons for increased resistance to anti-epileptic drugs. A group of scientists evaluated feces samples taken from a group of patients that have epilepsy and respond to antiepileptic drugs. These feces samples were compared to the feces samples taken from the group of patients that do not respond to the therapy. Statistical analysis showed that the composition of the gut microbiota was different in both groups. Patients who responded to the treatment had a relative abundance of Bacteroides finegoldii and Bifidobacterium sp., as opposed to the patients did not respond to the therapy and had a relative abundance of Negativicutes sp. (Whang et al. 2019). This is the potential marker for detecting the group of patients that will not respond well to the antiepileptic drug therapy as shown in Figure 4.
Targeting adverse effects of antiseizure medication on offspring: current evidence and new strategies for safety
Published in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2023
Leihao Sha, Xihao Yong, Zhenhua Shao, Yifei Duan, Qiulei Hong, Jifa Zhang, Yunwu Zhang, Lei Chen
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures and excessive or abnormal synchronous neuronal activity[1,2]. Epileptogenesis is associated with various mechanisms (Figure 1a) such as abnormal ion channels[3], blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction[4], formation of hyperexcitatory feedback[5], neuroinflammation[6], altered molecular pathways[7], and genetic modifications[8,9]. Current epilepsy treatment strategies (Figure 1a) mainly include antiseizure medication (ASMs), surgical treatment, neurostimulation, and ketogenic diet[1,10], among which ASMs should be the initial treatment for all epilepsy patients[11]. The primary targets of ASMs are ion channels (sodium and calcium channels) and neurotransmitters (mainly Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and glutamate)[12,13]. First-generation ASMs commonly used in clinical practice include carbamazepine, phenytoin, and valproic acid. Second-generation ASMs included lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, topiramate, zonisamide, pregabalin, and gabapentin (Figure 1b). These drugs have enhanced tolerability and safety; however, their efficacy does not differ significantly from first-generation drugs[14,15].
Physical activity correlates across the lifespan in people with epilepsy: a systematic review
Published in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2021
Davy Vancampfort, Philip B. Ward
Inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) a diagnosis of epilepsy, (b) studies contained quantitative research and had been published in a peer-reviewed journal, (c) the dependent variable was a measure of physical activity participation. No restriction was placed on age, the selection of the outcome measure, or the language of the article. For cohort or intervention studies, only associations of physical activity participation with baseline data were included. We excluded articles if the dependent variable was aerobic fitness, physical activity intention, self-efficacy, or other intermediate (non-behavioural) measures because these variables are less direct indicators of actual physical activity behaviour [6]. Also, articles were excluded that had a primary focus on sports participation and physical activity in controlled settings such as school sports in children and adolescents.