Perceived increases in seizures, reluctance to go to hospital and cancelled investigations are likely to impact on epilepsy management. The wider psychosocial impact is also likely to be significant with increases in child and caregiver mental health problems in an already vulnerable group.
The single most important factor associated with contracting COVID-19 is a close relative with this infection. Symptomatic COVID-19 does not seem to be more likely in patients with epilepsy.
Lack of health professionals and non-adherence to conventional epilepsy treatment are strongly associated with the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Genetics
Catamenial seizures, also known as menstrual seizures since they are linked to a woman’s menstrual cycle and related hormone levels in the body, were seen in 17 Rett patients (22.1%).
This study serves useful evidence for tailoring interventions aimed to reduce the burden of epilepsy and access to antiepileptic treatment in health facilities in Bangladesh.
Availability remains very low and phenobarbital, which is the most available and affordable AED was the worst in terms of quality. A drug policy addressing epilepsy treatment gap would reduce these barriers.
Former CURE Epilepsy Grantee Dr. Scott Baraban’s group has shown that the procedure reliably reduces seizures in these animals by 90 percent, along with other side effects of epilepsy, such as anxiety and memory problems.
Gut microbiota is modified and contributes to seizure occurrence in a genetic animal model of absence epilepsy and that its manipulation may be a suitable therapeutic target for absence seizure management.
A team of Virginia Tech scientists have identified a new link between seizures and connexin 36 deficiency that may make the brain more prone to having seizures.
