Objectives To analyze the prevalence and clinical features of depression, anxiety, depression and anxiety in Tibetan patients with epilepsy and to improve the diagnosis and treatment. Methods 102 patients with epilepsy, who had been admitted to the Department of Neurology of the People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region from January 2017 to December 2017, were diagnosed according to the Chinese Standard Classification and Diagnostic Criteria for Mental Disorders (3rd Edition) (CCMD-3). The Hamilton depression scale (HAMD 24 items) and the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA 14 items) were used to measure depression and anxiety. Different genders, ages, durations, frequency of attacks, and seizures types were analyzed for depression, anxiety, depression and anxiety. Univariate analysis was used to screen the factors that may cause depression, anxiety, depression and anxiety in patients with epilepsy. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of depression, anxiety, depression and anxiety in patients with epilepsy. Results Among the 102 patients with epilepsy, 35 (34.31%) comorbid depression, 10 (9.80%) comorbid anxiety, and 54 (52.94%) comorbid depression and anxiety. Univariate analysis showed that there was a significantly statistical difference in the duration of the disease and the frequency of seizures in local patients with epilepsy (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of epileptic seizures and anxiety (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of anxiety in patients with a disease duration of ≤2 years was only 10.1% of those with a course >2 years [OR=0.101, 95%CI (0.012, 0.915), P<0.05]; and the frequency of seizures was not an risk factors for epileptic comorbid with anxiety (P>0.05). The rate of depression and anxiety in patients with seizure frequency >2 times per month was 4.853 times higher than that of patients with seizure frequency ≤2 times per month [OR=4.853, 95%CI (2.024, 11.634), P<0.05]. Conclusions Tibetan patients with epilepsy have a high prevalence of depression, anxiety, depression and anxiety. In the diagnosis and treatment, we should strengthen the understanding and provide the appropriate prevention and treatment to improve the diagnosis and treatment level.
Valproic acid can reduce the frequency of seizures through various mechanisms and is widely used in clinical practice as a monotherapy or adjunctive treatment for various types of epilepsy and epileptic syndromes. In addition, valproic acid has significant therapeutic effects on comorbidities associated with epilepsy, such as migraines and psychiatric disorders. It can also be effective in terminating status epilepticus and is commonly used as a broad-spectrum antieseizure medication in clinical settings. However, valproic acid has side effects such as teratogenicity, infertility, and menstrual disorders. Additionally, when used in combination with other drugs, the interactions between medications should be carefully considered. Therefore, in clinical practice, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the indications and dosage regimens for the use of valproic acid. This article provides a comprehensive review of the use of valproic acid in different types of seizures, epileptic syndromes, comorbidities associated with epilepsy, post-craniotomy cases, status epilepticus, and special populations. It also summarizes the combination therapy of valproic acid with other drugs, providing a basis for the rational use of valproic acid and individualized drug treatment selection for epilepsy patients.
ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical characteristics of epilepsy comorbid with tic disorders in children, and discuss its diagnosis, treatment and management. MethodsThe clinical data of 12 epileptic children comorbid with tic disorders treated in Wuhan children's Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from December, 2018 to June, 2021 was collected retrospectively. The clinical characteristics, EEG, MRI, treatment, prognosis of epileptic children comorbid with tic disorders were analyzed and summarized. ResultsThere were 12 epileptic children comorbid with tic disorders in total, 11 males, 1 female, average (10.0±2.9) years old. The onset age of epilepsy was ranged from 0.6 to 11 years old, average (6.5±3.3) years old. The onset age of tic disorders ranged from 3.5 to 11 years old, average (7.2±2.0) years old. The epileptic seizure types included focal seisures (Focal, 8 cases), atypical absence seizures(AAS, 2 cases), myoclonic seizure (MS, 1 case), generalized tonic-clonic seisures (GTCS, 3 cases). The epileptic syndromes included benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECT, 2 cases), Dravet syndrome (1 case), juvenile myoclonic epilepsy(JME, 1 case), temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE, 1 case).The average oral antiepileptic seizure drug was 1, including lamotrigine(LTG), valproic acid(VPA), oxcarbazepine(OXC), levetiracetam(LEV), topiramate(TPM) and Perampanel. The clinical course of tic disorders ranged from 0.5 to 3.0 years, average (1.5±0.9) years. The clinical types included provisional tic disorder (PTD, 4 cases), chronic tic disorder (CTD, 5 cases, all of which were motor tics) and Tourette syndrome (TS, 3 cases). The severity of tic disorders was mild up to the last follow-up. In addition to tic disorders, other comorbidities included attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, 2 cases), 1 children was mixed type, 1 children was hyperactive impulse dominated type, psychomotor development disorder(3 cases), enuresis (1 case) and emotional disorder (1 case). There were interictal epileptiform discharges in 12 children with EEG, including focal discharges(7 cases, 1 EEG showed that focal discharges originated from the right temporal region), multiple discharges (5 cases, 1 EEG showed that multiple discharges originated from the right centro-temporal region), and clinical seizures were monitored in 6 cases (3 cases of focal seizures, 2 cases of atypical absence seizures, and 1 case of myoclonic seizure). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of head showed no obvious abnormalities. The follow-up time was ranged from 0.5 to 3.0 years. Up to the last follow-up (2022.01.01), 8 cases of epilepsy had been controlled and 4 cases of tic disorders were cured. The prognosis of epilepsy comorbid with tic disorders in most children was good. ConclusionsThe prognosis of epilepsy comorbid with tic disorders in most children is good, the types of epileptic seizures and epileptic syndromes are various. Prognosis of these chidren mainly depends on the control of epileptic seizures, the severity of tics and existence of other neuropsychiatric comorbidities. Therefore, drug treatment mainly focuses on controlling the epileptic seizures, and the impact of comorbidities on children can not be ignored. The clinical management needs regular follow-up, timely evaluation and corresponding interventions.
People with epilepsy often have other comorbidities (such as depression, stroke, obesity, migraine, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, etc.). Approximately 50% of adults with active epilepsy have at least one Comorbidities of epilepsy. Epilepsy comorbidities are often associated with worse quality of life and prognosis. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a neuromodulation technique that relies on electrical stimulation and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 for the treatment of epilepsy. In the process of exploring the efficacy and mechanism of VNS in the treatment of epilepsy, an additional benefit was unexpectedly found, that is, VNS can meliorate symptoms of a variety of comorbidities. Since the FDA approved VNS for the treatment of depression in 2005, VNS has shown increasingly bright prospects in the treatment of comorbidities. In addition to the approved indications, including depression, stroke, obesity and migraine, VNS in other neuropsychiatric comorbidities have shown great potential. From invasive implantable VNS (iVNS) to non-invasive transcutaneous VNS (tVNS), studies on the benefits of VNS in the treatment of epilepsy and its Comorbidities are also evolving. This article reviews the progress of clinical treatment and mechanism of VNS in the treatment of epilepsy comorbidities in recent years, with the aim to provide the best treatment strategy for epilepsy patients and research basis for scientific researchers. At the same time, the parameter Settings of previous and latest clinical trials of VNS for the treatment of epilepsy comorbidity were summarized and analyzed to provide more references for the clinical application of VNS.