Seizures during menstrual cycle linked to drug-resistant epilepsy
Study finds surprising connection in some women with genetic generalized epilepsy

Date:
August 26, 2020
Source:
Rutgers University
Summary:
More frequent seizures during the menstrual cycle in women with
genetic generalized epilepsy have been linked for the first time to
drug- resistant epilepsy, when anti-seizure medications don't work,
according to a new study that may help lead to tailored treatments.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
More frequent seizures during the menstrual cycle in women with genetic generalized epilepsy have been linked for the first time to drug-resistant epilepsy, when anti-seizure medications don't work, according to a
Rutgers coauthored study that may help lead to tailored treatments.


========================================================================== Women with a form of genetic generalized epilepsy called catamenial
epilepsy - - when seizure frequency increases during their menstrual
cycle -- were nearly four times more likely to have drug-resistant
epilepsy than women who experience no changes in frequency, according
to the study in the journal Neurology. This association was found in
two independent samples.

"Typically, genetic generalized epilepsy is thought to respond better
to anti- seizure medications than focal epilepsy. However, previous
studies suggest a minority of individuals, between 18 percent and 36
percent, with genetic generalized epilepsy do not respond well to these medications," said senior author Gary A. Heiman, an associate professor
in the Department of Genetics in the School of Arts and Sciences at
Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "It is unclear why seizures in these individuals do not respond well, and we sought to investigate why. We
found a surprising association between women's menstrual cycle and
those with drug-resistant genetic generalized epilepsy. Understanding
the reasons for this association could lead to alternative, personalized treatment options for at least some patients." In generalized epilepsy, seizures begin on both sides of the brain, while focal epilepsy seizures
start in only one part of the brain.

In 2015, about 3.4 million people, including 470,000 children, had
epilepsy in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anti-seizure drugs limit the spread of seizures
in the brain and work for about two-thirds of people with epilepsy. Other options include surgery.

The study included 589 patients with or without drug-resistant genetic generalized epilepsy at Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and 66
patients at Yale Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. The goal was to develop
and validate a model for predicting generalized epilepsy that resists
drug treatment.

Such models may allow healthcare professionals to identify patients who
may benefit from more aggressive or different kinds of treatment.

"Women whose seizures increase during their menstrual cycle and have drug- resistant genetic generalized epilepsy may represent a homogeneous group
with a specific cause," Heiman said. "Genetic and treatment studies of
these women could uncover the reason, and tailored treatment could be developed. Although our study sample is one of the largest to date and
found in two independent samples, further investigation using larger
sample sizes is required."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Rutgers_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hyunmi Choi, Kamil Detyniecki, Carl Bazil, Suzanne Thornton, Peter
Crosta, Hatem Tolba, Manahil Muneeb, Lawrence J. Hirsch, Erin
L. Heinzen, Arjune Sen, Chantal Depondt, Piero Perucca, Gary
A. Heiman. Development and validation of a predictive model of
drug-resistant genetic generalized epilepsy. Neurology, 2020;
10.1212/WNL.0000000000010597 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010597 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200826101628.htm

--- up 2 days, 6 hours, 51 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)