Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic brain disease that is characterised by repeated seizures, and it can occur in individuals of any age. Causes, triggers and symptoms vary widely between individuals.
The main classification of seizures is:
- focal (or partial) seizures - where only a small part of the brain is affected. Patients may have impaired awareness during these seizures or may remain totally aware.
- generalised seizures- where most or all of the brain is affected. There are 6 main subtypes of generalised seizure:- absence, myoclonic, clonic, atonic, tonic and tonic-clonic seizures.
- unclassified seizures- those that don't fit into the 2 classes above
The term status epilepticus is used to describe any seizure that lasts for >5 minutes, or a cluster of seizures during which the patient does not regain consciousness between seizures. This is a medical emergency. Benzodiazpines are the most common rapidly-acting treatments for status epilepticus.
Proper diagnosis (of the type of seizure) and treatment with the appropriate class of drug can eliminate or reduce seizures in many cases.
There are many anti-seizure medications. They tend to work by suppressing sodium or calcium currents, suppressing glutamate-mediated excitation, or enhancing GABA activities.
The WHO maintains this epilepsy webpage that focuses on how low- and middle-income countries can help reduce the health burden of this common condition. It provides links to other useful resources.
Pep epilepsy part 1- pathophysiology of seizures and epilepsy
These 27 slides correspond to the pathophysiology of seizures and epilepsy. In particular, the slides focus on the current and proposed classifications of the various types of epileptic seizures and epilepsies. The classifications provide useful information for clinicians, as seizure or epilepsy type can help determine which anti-epileptic drug should be used. These slides are intended for pharmacology, medical and/or pharmacy students at an intermediate level. Produced for the PEP by Stephen Kelley (University of Dundee, UK).
Status Epilepticus
This is an online resource from StatPearls and the NIH National Library of Medicine that provides a regularly updated review of the care of status epilepticus patients. It includes information relating to seizure etiology and pathophysiology, presentation, and leading through to evaluation, diagnosis and management strategies.
These 40 slides focus on the drugs used to treat epilepsy (anti-epileptic drugs). The anti-epileptic drugs presented are classified according to their main molecular mechanism of action. Additionally, there is information presented for the indication for epilepsy type, principal side effects and a brief summary of the pharmacokinetics of the anti-epileptic drugs. These slides are intended for pharmacology, medical and/or pharmacy students at an intermediate level. Produced for the PEP by Stephen Kelley (University of Dundee, UK).