Pharmacoepidemiological Study of 427 Patients with Epilepsy

Czech version

Authors: E. Tlustá ¹; J. Zárubová ²; J. Šimko ³; H. Hojdíková ³; J. Vlček ¹
Authors‘ workplace: Katedra sociální a klinické farmacie FaF UK Hradec Králové ¹; Centrum pro epileptologii a epileptochirurgii, Fakultní Thomayerova nemocnice, Praha ²; Neurologická klinika LF UK a FN Hradec Králové ³
Published in: Cesk Slov Neurol N 2008; 71/104(6): 682-687
Category: Original Paper

Overview

Objective:
To analyze a group of patients with epilepsy from two neurology departments in the Czech Republic; to describe type and seizure frequency, antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy and employability of the patients.

Methods:
Epileptic outpatients (n = 427) aged over 16 years receiving AED therapy attending the Neurology Department in Hradec Králové or the Centre for Epileptology and Epileptosurgery at Thomayer’s Teaching Hospital in Prague were considered for analysis. In the period from April 2005 to June 2006, age, gender, type and frequency of epileptic seizures, AEDs data and employability were retrieved from medical records.

Results:
The mean age of the patients was 40.9 years; 57.1% were women. Approximately half of the patients were at least one year without seizures; more than one seizure per month occurred in 24,8% of patients. Partial seizures were diagnosed in 70,7% of patients, 60% of patients were treated with a combination of two or more AEDs. Sodium valproate was the most commonly prescribed AED (54.8%), followed by carbamazepine (37.0%) and lamotrigin (36.3%). One third of the patients were on disability pension.

Conclusions:
The most frequently prescribed AEDs were valproate, followed by carbamazepine and lamotrigin. The study has shown low prescription of old AEDs such as barbiturates and phenytoin. Lamotrigin, levetiracetam and topiramate were the most frequently used new AEDs. AED therapy was in accordance with recent studies and guidelines for AED treatment of epilepsy. Polytherapy was a frequently used regimen in the treatment of epilepsy corresponding to a large number of patients with a difficult-to-treat epilepsy referred to these two epilepsy centers. A high number of patients on disability pension has been found in our group of patients.

Keywords:
epilepsy – antiepileptic drugs – drug utilization

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