Epilepsy: A Brief Review on Types and management Strategies

Abstract

Epilepsy is a disorder that affects many aspects of a patient's life and is common in both children and adults. It is associated with significant morbidity. Two-thirds of epilepsy patients are managed by well-established antiseizure medications, but a significant number are still looking for alternatives. This review aims to provide an overview of recent developments in paediatric patients' treatment-resistant epilepsy management. New pharmaceutical options like fenfluramine and cannabidiol, some of which have been tested specifically in patients with childhood-onset epilepsy syndromes like Dravet's and Lennox-Gastaut's, have recently been shown to be effective. Additionally, Dravet's syndrome patients now have access to a previously unavailable treatment option thanks to stiripentol's recent FDA approval. Last but not least, the effectiveness of implanted responsive neurostimulation devices for direct cortical stimulation and deep brain stimulation in adult patients has been demonstrated, and these devices may open up a thrilling new world for children. Although the clinical course and prognosis of epilepsy are significantly influenced by the etiology, the current classifications of epilepsy do not provide any specific information about the etiology. A classification (database) of epilepsy etiologies is proposed in this article. Epilepsy's etiology can be broken down into four categories according to this model: cryptogenic, symptomatic, provoked, and idiopathic. Subcategories are suggested and these are defined. Included is a commentary that addresses the following issues: epilepsy as a disease rather than a symptom, symptomatic versus idiopathic epilepsy, focal versus generalized epilepsy, acquired epilepsy, acute symptomatic epilepsy, risk factor analysis, provoked epilepsy, genetic and developmental epilepsy, and epilepsy as a disease rather than a symptom are all examples of problems associated with assigning causation.