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Spotlight on... awareness weeks

Awareness weeks guide

Spotlight on...

Spotlight on... awareness days, weeks and months

Featuring the latest research on key areas of health and wellbeing, our Spotlight on... series focuses on the awareness weeks, days and months that occur throughout the year.

Stay up-to-date on important health topics and explore the variety of resources available to support your work.

International Epilepsy Day

International Epilepsy Day

10 February 2025

Despite being one of the world's oldest known medical conditions, public fear and misunderstanding about epilepsy persist, making many people reluctant to talk about it. That reluctance leads to lives lived in the shadows, lack of understanding about individual risk, discrimination in workplaces and communities, and a lack of funding for new therapies research. People with epilepsy die prematurely at a higher rate compared to the general population. The most common cause of death from epilepsy is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, known as SUDEP. For many people living with epilepsy, the misconceptions and discrimination can be more difficult to overcome than the seizures themselves. Epilepsy Foundation

UpToDate

Adults

General

Pediatrics

Cochrane Library

Guidelines

Online resources

Reports

Articles

Stigma

Treatments

E-books

E-journals

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Articles

Stigma

Bridging the conversational gap in epilepsy: Using large language models to reveal insights into patient behavior and concerns from online discussions
Key points:

  • Large language models (LLMs) are used to analyze Reddit data, revealing unfiltered insights into epilepsy patient concerns such as stigma, treatment, and emotional challenges.
  • Artificial intelligence identifies 23 key themes in epilepsy discussions, offering demographic and behavioral insights across a large online community.
  • Substance use discussions show cyclic patterns linked to seizures, implying possible opportunities for targeted interventions.
  • Emotional issues, postictal state, and work concerns are linked to higher risks of suicide and depression in epilepsy patients.
  • Findings may improve patient–provider communication and optimize development of patient-reported outcome measures.

Epilepsia 10 December 2024

Clinical correlates of perceived stigma among people living with epilepsy enrolled in a self-management clinical trial
Highlights

  • Stigma is a pervasive problem with far-reaching impacts on outcomes for PLWE.
  • This was a baseline study from a self-management trial with a high mean seizure burden.
  • Perceived stigma correlated with lower social support and self-efficacy and higher depression severity.
  • Perceived stigma did not correlate with most demographic variables including rurality.

Epilepsy and behavior 16 September 2024

Developing and validating an epilepsy awareness and education program: Bridging gaps in knowledge and support for people living with epilepsy and their families
This study aimed to develop an epilepsy awareness and education programme to enhance epilepsy awareness and support among individuals living with epilepsy and their families. Patient preferences and adherence 7 November 2024

Experiences of COVID-19 in an Australian community cohort of adults with epilepsy
Highlights

  • More than 60 percent of those with epilepsy (PWE) contracted COVID-19.
  • For some there were problems in accessing GPs, healthcare and medicines.
  • PWE with these problems had lower Quality of Life.
  • Only small numbers were unvaccinated, lower than for the national population.
  • To understand pandemic effects on PWE the social dimension needs investigating.

Epilepsy & behavior 24 September 2024

Experiences of people with epilepsy in their professional development and daily working life: An exploratory study
Highlights

  • Half of surveyed people with epilepsy (PWE) worried about their professional future.
  • Half of the PWE perceived reduced work performance due to adverse drug reactions.
  • After diagnosis before finishing school, 1/3 could not chose the desired profession.
  • Of those diagnosed in professional training, almost 1/3 had to quit their training.
  • Of those already at work, 13% had to give up their job after the diagnosis.

Epilepsy & behavior 1 February 2025

Individual and relational factors related to disclosure of epilepsy in the workplace
This study indicated that the decision to disclose epilepsy was associated with both individual factors, such as experience of viewing own seizures, and relational factors, such as experience of discrimination and enacted stigma. Epilepsy and behavior 10 October 2024

Shining a light: Advancing health equity in overlooked epilepsy communities
This paper reviews the literature on disparities that affect several minoritized groups living with epilepsy.  Epilepsy currents 14 June 2024

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Treatments

Brivaracetam effectiveness and tolerability in older and younger adults with epilepsy: EXPERIENCE, a pooled analysis of international data from retrospective studies
Highlights

  • Planned subgroup analysis of patients (pts) with epilepsy in a real-world study.
  • Brivaracetam (BRV) was effective and well tolerated in pts aged ≥65 and ≥16–<65 yrs.
  • BRV was well tolerated in pts ≥65 yrs with and without psychiatric comorbidities.
  • BRV was well tolerated in pts ≥65 yrs switching from levetiracetam or other ASMs.
  • Data confirm BRV is effective and well tolerated among older pts in the real world.

Epilepsy and behavior 5 July 2024

Neonatal seizures: New evidence, classification, and guidelines
This review will provide updated knowledge about the pathophysiology of neonatal seizures, classification of the provoked seizures and neonatal epilepsies, state of the art guidance on EEG monitoring in the neonatal ICU, current treatment guidelines for neonatal seizures, and potential for future advancement in treatment. Epilepsy currents 22 May 2024

Precision medicine approaches in epilepsy: A systematic review of genetic markers and personalized treatment strategies
This comprehensive analysis of diverse epilepsy studies underscores the pivotal role of genetic information in tailoring treatments and enhancing patient outcomes. The urgent integration of genetic testing into epilepsy care is imperative. Precision medical sciences 24 June 2024

Prioritizing questions and topics for the development of guidelines and consensus-based recommendations supported by ILAE: A scoping review and proposal of prioritization criteria
Key points:

  • The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Prioritization Tool is a pragmatic tool for prioritizing the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and consensus-based recommendations (CBRs) according to the ILAE's mission and goals.
  • The instrument consists of 10 user-friendly domains.
  • The instrument includes detailed guidance for its usage (based on a 5-point Likert scale).

Epilepsia 29 January 2025

Sleep disorders in children with epilepsy receiving valproate therapy
Sleep disorders are prevalent in children with epilepsy receiving valproate therapy which need attention and appropriate management. European society of medicine 30 January 2025

The fundamentals of antiseizure medications: A through Z
This review highlights important aspects of older and newer medications, developments in precision medicine for epilepsy, increasing understanding of effective treatments for status epileptics, and a global perspective on antiseizure medications (ASM) availability. Epilepsy currents 7 October 2024

The multidisciplinary team in the treatment of patients with epilepsy
Optimal care for people with epilepsy (PwE) requires a multidisciplinary patient-oriented team, a concept that emerged from oncology. This article reviews the role of advanced practice providers, dieticians, psychologists, pharmacists, psychiatrists, and social workers in working alongside neurologists in caring for PwE. The article examines training and licensure requirements, clinical needs, and scope of practice for these disciplines. The review concludes by providing recommendations and a framework for multidisciplinary care for PwE. Epilepsy currents 30 April 2024

Therapeutic yield of comprehensive inpatient treatment for patients with intellectual disability and epilepsy – A prospective observational study
Highlights

  • People with ID and epilepsy benefit from comprehensive inpatient treatment.
  • Seizure burden and ASM adverse effects become significantly lower.
  • Both variables are significantly associated with better post-discharge global QoL.
  • Improvement of global QoL is significantly associated with reduced number of ASM.

Epilepsy & behavior 13 January 2025

Usefulness of perampanel as initial monotherapy in children with non-lesional focal epilepsy
Highlights

  • Efficacy as monotherapy in focal epilepsy was compared between perampanel (PER) and carbamazepine (CBZ).
  • Efficacy rate for seizures was higher with PER than with CBZ (p = 0.0148).
  • Efficacy rate for interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) was higher with PER than with CBZ (p < 0.0001).
  • Adverse events (AEs) were less frequent with PER than with CBZ (p = 0.023).
  • PER as initial monotherapy may be useful in focal epilepsy children.

Epilepsy & behavior reports 30 January 2025

When is home video seizure monitoring helpful?
This scoping literature review provides an overview of video and audio-based seizure detection, highlighting their potential benefits and challenges. It encompasses a thorough search and evaluation of relevant articles, summarizing methods and performances of these systems. The primary aim of this review is to examine and analyze existing research to identify patterns and gaps and establish a foundation for future advancements. Epilepsy currents 16 May 2024

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E-books

This is just a sample of the e-books the library subscribes to – you will need your library login

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E-Journals

This is just a sample of the journals the library subscribes to – you will need your library login

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