New studies show mixed results on epilepsy drugs and birth defects
...also emphasize the importance of trying to control seizures with only one epilepsy drug if possible and the importance of planning carefully how epilepsy drugs will be used during pregnancy before the pregnancy occurs." The bad news is about the drug valproic acid. One study monitored the rate of birth defect...Researchers model brain's electrical storm during a seizure
...tters needed to convey messages in the brain. Some seizures begin in a very specific area of the brain called ... was treating a 49-year-old epilepsy patient whose seizures were not reliably controlled by medication. The patient was diagnosed with mesial temporal sclerosis...Brain tumor treatment can vary greatly, according to new JAMA study
...hile it is accepted that patients who present with seizures should receive anti-epileptic drugs (AED), there is strong evidence that prophylactic AED have little value for seizure-free patients with newly diagnosed brain tumors," the researchers write in the JAMA article. "Furthermore," they write, "AED are...Controversial Atkins Diet may be beneficial for people with epilepsy
Imagine that your child with epilepsy could have seizures less frequently, by eating more protein and less c...ich has proven successful in suppressing epileptic seizures in a small series of patients. The review, published in Epilepsy Currents, explores the benefits of...Early seizures after epilepsy surgery predict more seizures
The prevailing medical understanding of seizures in the weeks just after epilepsy surgery is that t... by the brain during the operation. In fact, early seizures after the most common form of epilepsy surgery signal a greatly increased likelihood that the patien...New treatment guidelines for pregnant women with asthma
...ion marked by high blood pressure, which can cause seizures in the mother or fetus), premature birth, and low-birth weight. These risks are linked to asthma severity more severe asthma increases risk, while better controlled asthma is tied to decreased risks. Asthma worsens in approximately 30 percent of wo...FDA approves Pfizer's Lyrica for the treatment of the two most common forms of neuropathic pain
...by the FDA for the adjunctive treatment of partial seizures in adults. In July, Pfizer received European Commission approval to market Lyrica in European Unionmember states for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain and as adjunctive therapy for partial seizures....Substance in urine predicts development of preeclampsia
...al seizures. Although the high blood pressure and seizures can be treated, the only cure for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby. Combined estimates of preeclampsia and other hypertension disorders during pregnancy range from 5.9 to 8 percent of all pregnancies in the United States. In cases where the cond...Drivers with epilepsy are on the road again
...he U.S. as a result of crashes caused by epileptic seizures between 1995 and 1997. With this potential for accidents and fatalities, laws have been put in place to restrict people who have epilepsy from operating vehicles. Similar restrictions exist for persons with progressive vision loss, for example, res...Pacemakers could protect patients with epilepsy from sudden unexplained death
...thm as a result of neurological dysfunction during seizures is thought to be a possible cause. John Duncan (In...ms during 377 seizures. Heart rate during habitual seizures exceeded 100 beats per minute among 16 patients. Four patients had bradycardia or periods of asystol...Injury from epileptic seizures relatively rare, Mayo Clinic study find
...l should understand that the risk of injuries from seizures is very small in people whose epilepsy is well con...tween 1975 and 1984. They found 62 injuries due to seizures in 39 of the patients. Eighty percent of the injuries were cuts, scratches or minor bruises to the s...Technology points to possible targets for epilepsy and Alzheimer's drugs
...y study, the researchers focused on patients whose seizures couldn't be controlled with medication who had sur...ir temporal lobes, the part of the brain where the seizures originated. Tissue samples from two of these patients were compared with tissue samples from subject...Tip sheet for the October 26, 2004 Neurology
...ntiepileptic drug. After the switch, the patients' seizures increased enough to require intervention. The study concluded that brand and generic phenytoin do not yield the same concentrations in some patients, and substitution should not be permitted without notifying physicians. Related co...Mayo Clinic finds ketogenic diet may be started as an outpt treatment for children with epilepsy
...wo out of three epileptic children and may prevent seizures in one out of three, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. The diet has to be rigidly controlled. Any deviation can produce a seizure if the patient is thrown out of ketosis, a presence in the blood of abnormally high levels of acidic substances. ...Exercise prevents Parkinson's symptoms in lab model mimicking human form of the disease
...rcise might also confer protection against stroke, seizures and other brain disorders that are also caused by free radical damage. Although GDNF is found only in the brain, previous research by others has found that exercise somehow protects the heart from free radical damage. "So ex...Study documents adverse events of pneumococcal vaccine in children
...rial. We found that the large majority of reported seizures were febrile [fever-related] or in patients with a previous history of seizures. Although allergic reactions, prolonged or abnormal crying, fussiness in infants, dyspnea [breathing difficulties], and GI distress are common childhood symptoms apart fr...Epilepsy associated with higher risk for learning disabilities
...ILAE), indicates that people who have uncontrolled seizures on the left side of their brains are more likely t...ing disabilities, in comparison to people who have seizures on the right side of their brains. Epilepsy, a neurological disorder associated with recurrent seizu...Epilepsy study shows memory loss after brain surgery
...ost often SAH is sufficient to eliminate recurrent seizures in patients. ...Endoscopic approach best for repairing bone defect between brain, nasal cavity
...takis says the biggest concern is brain infection, seizures and even death that can result when nasal contents work their way into the brain. "It's not a major cause of meningitis, but 10 to 50 percent of the people who have a cerebrospinal fluid leak will get meningitis." A small portion of the brain also ca......th Florida study. "Contrary to the myth, epileptic seizures are not more common during a full moon," said Seli...dicine. "In fact, we found the number of epileptic seizures was lowest during the full moon and highest in the moon's last quarter." The study, to be published ...