Shortcomings in the current treatment of epilepsy

Abstract

Contemporary drug therapy fails to control epileptic seizures in some 30% of patients, resulting in the need to employ other measures when they appear practicable. A good deal of potentially relevant statistical detail is available regarding the outcomes of the available antiepileptic therapies, but its interpretation is sometimes difficult because of uncertainty about the types of epilepsy to which it applies, and because of deficiencies in knowledge of the natural histories of the various epileptic syndromes, if untreated. The actual shortcomings in the contemporary treatment of epilepsy appear to arise not only from the limited curative capacities of the available therapies, but from a number of deficiencies in knowledge concerning the significant aspects of what should determine treatment policy and the optimal employment of antiepileptic drugs.

Keywords::

• antiepileptic drugs
• cure
• epilepsy
• prognosis
• seizures
• therapy
• withdrawal

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.