Epileptic Prodromes: Insights from Surveying 196 Patients and 150 Caregivers.

OBJECTIVE: Uncontrolled epilepsy creates a constant source of worry for patients and puts them at a high risk of injury. Identifying recurrent "premonitory" symptoms of seizures and using them to recalibrate seizure prediction algorithms may improve prediction performances. This study aimed to investigate patients' ability to predict oncoming seizures based on preictal symptoms. METHODS: Through an online survey, demographics and clinical characteristics (e.g., seizure frequency, epilepsy duration, and postictal symptom duration) were collected from people with epilepsy and caregivers across Canada. Respondents were asked to answer questions regarding their ability to predict seizures through warning symptoms. A total of 196 patients and 150 caregivers were included and were separated into three groups: those who reported warning symptoms within the 5 minutes preceding a seizure, prodromes (symptoms earlier than 5 minutes before seizure), and no warning symptoms. RESULTS: Overall, 12.2% of patients and 12.0% of caregivers reported predictive prodromes ranging from 5 minutes to more than 24 hours before the seizures (median of 2 hours). The most common were dizziness/vertigo (28%), mood changes (26%), and cognitive changes (21%). Statistical testing showed that respondents who reported prodromes also reported significantly longer postictal recovery periods compared to those who did not report predictive prodromes (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that patients who present predictive seizure prodromes may be characterized by longer patient-reported postictal recovery periods. Studying the correlation between seizure severity and predictability and investigating the electrical activity underlying prodromes may improve our understanding of preictal mechanisms and ability to predict seizures.

Seizure detection devices: A survey of needs and preferences of patients and caregivers.

AIMS: Seizure detectors could have many positive effects on the quality of life of people with epilepsy (PWE) such as alarms to reduce seizure-related injuries or reliable seizure counts leading to improved epilepsy management. As seizure detection gains increasing interest within the epilepsy research community, guidelines for patient-centered designs are needed. This study aims to detail the preferences, needs and concerns regarding potential seizure detectors, of PWE and their caregivers across Canada. METHODS: Two questionnaires were designed to survey PWE and their caregivers on seizure detection acceptability and to collect general clinical characteristics. The surveys were available online for nine weeks and were promoted by Canadian organizations of PWE. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. RESULTS: Responses from 221 PWE and 171 caregivers were collected. Ninety-seven percent of PWE and 99% of caregivers expressed interest in seizure detection. Most would use seizure detectors continuously, in conjunction with a seizure diary, and wanted automated alarms. Smartwatches and bracelets/rings were considered most acceptable and would be worn continuously by 58% and 61% of PWE, respectively. Additional value was attributed to multimodal seizure detection. Responders were most concerned about false negatives, comfort and cost. They expected seizure detection to improve their quality of life and quality of care, and felt confident in their ability to use a seizure detector. CONCLUSIONS: While PWE and caregivers in Canada show great enthusiasm for seizure detection, their opinions are shaped by their perception of the effectiveness and reliability of this technology and its cost. A preliminary technology acceptance model and recommendations promoting the development of seizure detectors demonstrating an understanding of their future users are presented. Future investigations should focus on a larger population of patients who have previously used seizure detection devices to assess user-feedback.

Eslicarbazepine for focal epilepsy and acute intermittent porphyria.

Porphyrias are rare genetic disorders which cause a deficiency in the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of heme. The treatment of epilepsy in patients with acute intermittent porphyria can be difficult since many anticonvulsants can increase heme synthesis and trigger porphyric attacks. We report a patient with focal epilepsy successfully treated with eslicarbazepine without exacerbation of porphyria.