Current therapeutic approaches to epilepsy

Abstract

With a worldwide frequency of around 1%, epilepsy is one of the most frequent neurological disorders
affecting humans. It has been estimated that as many as 50 million people throughout the globe suffer from
this condition. While many people's seizures are well managed with current treatments, around 25% of the
overall population still suffers from them. Epilepsy treatment often centers on anticonvulsant medication,
which may need to be taken indefinitely. More than 20% of people with epilepsy will develop chronic
intractable (refractory) epilepsy. Because of this, combined treatment is required. However, polypharmacy
is hampered by cognitive impairment and medication interactions, and only approximately 10% of
individuals with refractory epilepsy seem to benefit significantly from it. Many novel pharmacological
drugs have been developed in the recent two decades, allowing for more effective treatment of epilepsy. So
extensive data has been acquired both chemically as well as pharmacological point of view. Primary care
doctors and anyone caring for people with epilepsy may hopefully find this information useful. This means
they need to be aware of the new possibilities.