XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
  Memory
  Regeneration
  Stroke
  Brain Diseases
  Headache
  Spinal Cord Diseases
  Demyelinating Diseases
  Neurodegenerative Diseases
  Taste
  Trigeminal Neuralgia
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
Search

Last Updated: Nov 17th, 2006 - 22:35:04

Neurosciences Channel
subscribe to Neurosciences newsletter

Latest Research : Neurosciences

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Delaying medication for early epilepsy advocated
Jun 12, 2005, 05:36, Reviewed by: Dr.

The scientists, whose research is published in this week's issue of The Lancet, conducted a randomised trial of 1,400 patients with single or infrequent seizures from around the world. Half were assigned to immediate treatment with antiepileptic drugs and half were assigned to deferred treatment, where they received no drug until they and their clinician agreed treatment was necessary.

 
Scientists investigating epilepsy at the University of Liverpool have found no significant long-term benefit in administering immediate treatment to those with early epilepsy and infrequent seizures.

Around 500,000 people in the UK suffer from epilepsy, making it the most common serious neurological condition. Many of those who develop epilepsy start having seizures during childhood, but it can develop at any age.

The risks and benefits of starting or withholding treatment for patients with few or infrequent seizures have always been unclear, but research now suggests that early treatment adds little if any benefit to a patient's quality of life.

Professor David Chadwick and his team, from the University's Division of Neuroscience, found that early treatment does not reduce their risk of seizure recurrence in the long-term and delaying medication does not increase their risk of chronic epilepsy.

The scientists, whose research is published in this week's issue of The Lancet, conducted a randomised trial of 1,400 patients with single or infrequent seizures from around the world. Half were assigned to immediate treatment with antiepileptic drugs and half were assigned to deferred treatment, where they received no drug until they and their clinician agreed treatment was necessary.

The trial found that immediate treatment reduced short-term seizure recurrence but had no effect on long-term outcomes. More patients in the immediate treatment group than in the deferred group experienced adverse effects that were probably treatment related. There was no difference in quality of life between the two groups.

Professor Chadwick said: "We have sought to quantify precisely benefits in terms of seizure control, to improve the quality of information available to support clinicians and patients in making decisions about treatment options. "We have shown that a policy of immediate treatment with antiepileptic drugs, mainly with carbamazepine or valproate, reduces the occurrence of seizures in the next one to two years, but does not modify rates of long-term remission after a first or after several seizures.

"After two years, the benefits of improved seizure control with immediate treatment seem to be balanced by the unwanted effects of drug treatment and there is no improvement in measures of quality of life."

Samuel Berkovic from the University of Melbourne, Australia, added: "Apart from a decreased risk of proximate seizures, the results of this study suggest there is little to gain in the long-term from starting medication immediately."

"In what is often a difficult decision good data coupled with a clinical synthesis of the risks and benefits that are tailored to the patient's personal circumstances will contribute to optimum treatment decisions."
 

- The Lancet
 

www.liv.ac.uk

 
Subscribe to Neurosciences Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research institutions. It attracts collaborative and contract research commissions from a wide range of national and international organisations valued at more that �90 million annually.

Related Neurosciences News

Memories: It's all in the packaging
New Effort to Treat Stroke More Effectively
Atrial Fibrillation linked to Reduced Cognitive Performance
Human Memory Gene Identified
Laser Analysis Points to Brain Pigment's Hidden Anatomy
Cause of nerve fiber damage in multiple sclerosis identified
REGARDS Study: Stroke Symptoms Common Among General Population
Signals That Tell Fly Neurons to Extend or Retract
Potential link between celiac disease and cognitive decline discovered
Progesterone for Traumatic brain injury??


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us