Author: Sam Killian, M.D.

Educational Pearls

• The availability of antiepileptic treatment has changed in the last 30 years.
• A recent study in JAMA followed 18,000 pts with epilepsy for 30 years to assess the effectiveness of looked at seizure control.
• The study found that although there have been new drugs introduced over the last 30 years, there has not been much of an improvement in seizure control.
• Side effect profiles and medicine compliance may have improved in this time period, but the main goal of reducing seizure frequency has not been reached.

References: Chen Z, Brodie MJ, Liew D, Kwan P. Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Epilepsy Treated With Established and New Antiepileptic DrugsA 30-Year Longitudinal Cohort Study. JAMA Neurol. Published online December 26, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.3949