Half of epilepsy patients have cognitive problems
Almost half of patients with epilepsy experience moderate to severe cognitive impairment due to their condition or the drugs they are taking to control their seizures.
In a survey of 425 patients carried out by the International Bureau for
Epilepsy, 44 per cent had moderate to severe difficulties learning new
things and 45 per cent felt that they were moderately or very slow thinkers.
Significant numbers of patients also said that they felt sleepy or sluggish
a lot of the time. Over 60 per cent felt that effects they had experienced
prevented them doing a particular activity or achieving a goal. Almost
half thought that their work, education, leisure activities, family and
relationships were affected.
A total of 56 per cent blamed the effects on their medication, with 42
per cent blaming both their condition and their drugs and 14 per cent
citing medication alone.
Hilary Mountfield, chairman of the European Committee of the International
Bureau for Epilepsy, said: “People with epilepsy and their physicians
need to be more aware that finding it hard to concentrate, and feeling
sleepy and sluggish, have a major impact on people’s lives so it
is important that their condition is being managed optimally.”
The survey, sponsored by UCB Pharma, manufacturer of levetiracetam, was
presented at the European Federation of
Neurological Societies conference
this week. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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