ObjectiveTo explore the clinical characteristics of epilepsy and depression patients, and provide guidance for clinical intervention of epilepsy and depression patients.MethodsPatients with epilepsy (epilepsy group) were prospectively enrolled in Emeishan People’s Hospital from 2015 to 2017, and healthy controls (control group) were enrolled in the same period. Clinical assessment of depression was conducted and compared between the two groups. In the epilepsy group, the severity and incidence of depression were analyzed and compared among different subgroups according to the epileptic seizure type, frequency and course.ResultsA total of 120 patients and 70 healthy controls were enrolled. The Hamilton Depression Scale score of epilepsy group was higher than that of the control group (t=7.430, P<0.001), and the depression degree of epilepsy group was significantly higher than that of the control group (Z=−4.371, P< 0.001). There was no significant difference in depression rating between convulsive epilepsy patients and partial epilepsy patients (Z=−1.591, P=0.112); there was no significant difference in depression rating among patients with different epilepsy course (χ2=1.943, P=0.584); there was significant difference in depression rating among patients with different seizure frequency (χ2=27.575, P<0.001). Patients with high frequency of seizures were more likely to suffer from depression and severe depression, with the lowest proportion of normal neuropsychological state. Conversely, patients with low frequency of epileptic seizures had a lower proportion of depression and severe depression.ConclusionsThe incidence of depression in epilepsy patients is higher than that in normal people. Timely detection and treatment of depression in clinical work have a positive impact on the prognosis of patients.
ObjectiveTo deeply discuss the home care experience of parents of children with epilepsy, analyzed the current status of care ability and the real influencing factors, and provide a basis to improve their care ability.MethodsDescriptive research was used to conduct in-depth interviews with parents of 14 children with epilepsy who were admitted to the Children's Hospital of Zhengzhou University from December 2019 to January 2020, and data analysis was performed by using the generic analysis method.ResultsThe home care experience of parents of children with epilepsy includes four themes: weak nursing ability, physical and mental fatigue, weak support system, and expectation of medical professional support.ConclusionMedical staffs should combine the needs of parents of children with epilepsy and the influencing factors of care ability to carry out health education guidance of online and offline epilepsy knowledge and care skills to improve their care ability.
ObjectiveTo investigate the status of quality of life and influencing factors among newly diagnosed epilepsy patients with co-morbid anxiety and depression. MethodsA total of 180 newly diagnosed epilepsy patients from June 2022 to December 2022 in a district of Shanghai were selected as the study subjects. The Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), and Epilepsy Self-Management Scale (ESMS) were used to assess patients' quality of life, depression levels, anxiety levels, and self-management abilities, respectively. Patients were divided into the co-morbid depression group (HAMA≥14 and HAMD>17) and the control group (HAMA<14 and HAMD≤17), and their general characteristics and scale scores were compared. Spearman correlation, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to identify influencing factors of quality of life in epilepsy patients with co-morbid depression. ResultsCompared to the control group, the anxiety comorbid with depression group of older adults had a higher proportion, higher unemployment rate, lower personal and family annual income in the past year, higher frequency of epileptic seizures, and lower medication adherence (P<0.05). The correlational analysis revealed a negative correlation between the quality of life abilities of epilepsy patients with comorbid anxiety and depression and the severity of anxiety and depression. (r=−0.589, −0.620, P<0.05). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the frequency of seizures in the past year (β=−1.379, P<0.05), severity of anxiety (β=−0.279, P<0.05), and severity of depression (β=−0.361, P<0.05) have an impact on the ability to quality of life in epilepsy patients with co-morbid anxiety and depression. These factors account for 44.1% of the total variability in quality of life (R2=0.4411, P<0.05). ConclusionThe frequency of seizures in the past year, as well as the severity of anxiety and depression, are important factors that influence the ability to quality of life in epilepsy patients with comorbid anxiety and depression. For these patients, it is crucial to take into account these factors and provide appropriate support and interventions.
To report a case of a 1-year-old female child admitted to the hospital with recurrent convulsions and diagnosed as West syndrome, also known as infantile spasms (IS). The child had been experiencing convulsions for 4 months prior to admission, characterized by forward head tilt and flexion of the limbs, with 8 ~ 10 episodes per day. After admission, West syndrome was identified by EEG and imaging evaluation, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) shock therapy was started on day 5 of admission, supplemented with peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), gastric protection, calcium and potassium supplementation and other supportive measures. During the course of treatment, the nursing team implemented meticulous monitoring and assessment to ensure that the child's vital signs were stabilized, and potential side effects were detected and treated in a timely manner. After 14 days of treatment, the child had no further spasticity episodes during 3 ~ 14 days, and was discharged from the hospital with continued oral hormone intake and regular follow-up. During the nursing process, the nursing staff provided psychological support and education to the child and her family to help the family understand the disease and enhance their ability to manage it. In addition, personalized nutritional support and monitoring were provided to ensure the healthy growth of the child. The successful management of this case not only enhanced the quality of clinical care, but also provided useful reference and inspiration for similar cases.
ObjectiveTo analyze the risk factors of cognitive dysfunction in patients with epilepsy, and provide evidence for clinical prevention and treatment.MethodsDuring the period from January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019, 101 patients with epilepsy who were admitted to the epilepsy specialist clinic of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University were included in this study. The cognitive function of the patients was evaluated by the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) scale and patients were divided into cognitive impairment group and normal cognitive function group according to the MMSE. Single factor and logistic regression analysis were used to find the differences of influencing factors between the two groups.Results① There were 27 cases of cognitive dysfunction in 101 patients with epilepsy, the incidence of cognitive impairment was 26.7%; ② Univariate analysis showed that the course of disease, frequency of seizures, seizure forms, anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) and abnormal rate of electroencephalogram (EEG) existed significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). ③ Logistic regression showed that course of disease, frequency of seizures and AEDs multidrug therapy were independent risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in patients with epilepsy (P<0.05).ConclusionCourse of disease, frequency of seizures and AEDs multidrug therapy are independent risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in patients with epilepsy.
Objective To investigate the pathological mechanism of epileptic comorbid sleep disorder by analyzing the changes of cerebral white matter diffusion tensor in patients with sleep disorder with negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) epilepsy based on the method of tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Methods MRI negative epilepsy patients comorbid sleep disorder who were epileptic patients treated l in China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University from January 2020 to December 2022 completed the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) tests, and those who complained of sleep disorder and PSQI index ≥11 were monitored by nighttime polysomnography (PSG) and those with objective sleep disorder confirmed by PSG were included in the epilepsy comorbid sleep disorder group. Healthy volunteers with matching gender, age, education were included in the health control group. Diffusion tensor image ( DTI) was collected for all subjects by using a 3.0T magnetic resonance scanner. Diffusion parameters were compared between the two groups using TBSS. Results This study included 36 epilepsy patients comorbid sleep disorder and 35 healthy volunteers. epilepsy patients comorbid sleep disorder showed significantly lower fraction anisotropy (FA) (P<0.05) and significantly higher mean diffusivity (MD) (P<0.05) than the health control group . Brain regions with statistical differences in FA reduction included middle peduncle of cerebellum, genu of corpus callosum, body of corpus callosum, splenium of corpus callosum, anterior corona radiata, external capsule and right posterior thalamic radiation.Brain regions with statistical differences in MD degradation included genu of corpus callosum, body of corpus callosum, anterior limb of internal capsule, anterior corona radiata, superior corona radiata, external capsule and right posterior limb of internal capsul. Conclusion Patients with epilepsy comorbidities with sleep disorders have widespread and symmetric white matter damage.The white matter damage is concentrated in the front of the brain.
Drug-refractory epilepsy (DRE) may be treated by surgical intervention. Intracranial EEG has been widely used to localize the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Most studies of epileptic network focus on the features of EZ nodes, such as centrality and degrees. It is difficult to apply those features to the treatment of individual patients. In this study, we proposed a spatial neighbor expansion approach for EZ localization based on a neural computational model and epileptic network reconstruction. The virtual resection method was also used to validate the effectiveness of our approach. The electrocorticography (ECoG) data from 11 patients with DRE were analyzed in this study. Both interictal data and surgical resection regions were used. The results showed that the rate of consistency between the localized regions and the surgical resections in patients with good outcomes was higher than that in patients with poor outcomes. The average deviation distance of the localized region for patients with good outcomes and poor outcomes were 15 mm and 36 mm, respectively. Outcome prediction showed that the patients with poor outcomes could be improved when the brain regions localized by the proposed approach were treated. This study provides a quantitative analysis tool for patient-specific measures for potential surgical treatment of epilepsy.
ObjectiveThis article aims to comprehensively retrieve and summarize the best evidence for the self-management of epilepsy in adolescents, so as to provide a reference for clinical medical staff and relevant decision makers. MethodsWe systematically searched Cochrane, Global Guidelines Collaboration (GIN), Scottish Interhospital Guidelines Network (SIGN), Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), NICE, RANO (Nurses' Association of Ontario, Canada), UpToDate, BMJ, Medical Maitong, PubMed, International League Against Epilepsy, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database and other databases and websites. All kinds of literature related to the self-management of epilepsy in adolescents were collected from the establishment of the database to April 18, 2023, including clinical decision-making, clinical guidelines,. Evidence summary, expert consensus, systematic review, etc. Four researchers were invited to evaluate the quality of the retrieved guidelines, and two researchers independently screened and evaluated the quality of the remaining literature. According to the opinions of professionals, data extraction and analysis were performed on the literature that met the inclusion criteria. ResultsA total of 9 articles were included, including 3 clinical guidelines, 3 expert consensus and 3 systematic reviews. We summarized the evidence in the literature in the following 8 aspects: Self-management initiation timing, monitoring management, psychological management, innovative self-management mode, information and support, medication management, daily life management and follow-up management. We identified 34 best pieces of evidence. ConclusionsThis article provides health care providers with the best evidence for the self-management of adolescents with epilepsy, guiding them to provide self-management education and counseling for adolescents with epilepsy through evidence-based methods, helping them to improve self-management ability, reduce seizures, reduce health services and healthcare costs, and improve quality of life.
Objective To evaluate the application effect of epilepsy prevention and management project in rural areas of Neijiang City. MethodsAccording to the requirements of the "Rural Epilepsy Prevention and Management Project Work Manual" (2021 edition) of the National Epilepsy Prevention and Management Project Office, the follow-up data of patients in rural areas of Neijiang City from the beginning of the epilepsy prevention and management project to December 2023 were collected, and the patient treatment effect of the project was evaluated. Results The total effective rate was more than 70% after 3 months of treatment, As the treatment time is extended, the total efficiency is upward. Adverse drug reactions occurred mainly in the first 3 months of treatment.The patients dropped out of the group because they did not achieve the expected effect, poor treatment compliance and could not tolerate serious adverse reactions. Conclusion The prevention and treatment of epilepsy in rural areas of our city has a good effect of promotion.The follow-up management of patients in the first 3 months of treatment should be strengthened to ensure the continuity and standardization of treatment.
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that affect patients' cognitive function and their mental health, imposing a huge burden on families and society. There are approximately 50 million epilepsy patients worldwide, with a prevalence rate of 4‰~7‰ in China, including about 6 million active epilepsy patients. Although scientists have been devoted to the research and exploration of epilepsy, the causes and pathological mechanisms of epilepsy are still poorly understood. The effectiveness of anti-seizure drugs is limited, and more effective methods is needed. With the deepening of microbiological research, many studies have found significant differences in the composition of the intestinal microbiota of epilepsy patients compared to healthy individuals. Analysis of the intestinal microbiota of epilepsy patients through sequencing has shown significantly lower abundances of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes compared to the normal population. Many related clinical studies have found that adopting a ketogenic diet, taking probiotics orally, using antibiotics, or fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can effectively control epilepsy by normalizing the intestinal microbiota. Various studies suggest a possible connection between the intestinal microbiota and epilepsy, recognizing that the intestinal microbiota can have an impact on the central nervous system. As a result, gut-brain axisis gradually recognized by scientists. Therefore, the role of the intestinal microbiota in epilepsy is gradually being recognized, and recent clinical studies have confirmed that supplementing probiotics can effectively reduce seizure frequency and improve comorbidities, which may become a new method for treating epilepsy.