| 1. |
- Landtblom, Anne-Marie, 1953-
(författare)
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Did St Birgitta suffer from epilepsy? A neuropathography
- 2004
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Ingår i: Seizure. - 1059-1311 .- 1532-2688. ; 13:3, s. 161-167
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several famous religious personalities have been discussed as possibly having had epilepsy. Partial epileptic fits can be accompanied by religious experiences. The Swedish St Birgitta of Vadstena is focused on from this perspective as the exterior of the skull thought to belong to her has a prominent tuberculum with a corresponding interior indentation possibly indicating the previous existence of a meningioma, a well known cause of epilepsy. This article scrutinises arguments for and against the possibility of epileptic features in the revelations of the saint, as well as in her life story.
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| 2. |
- Räty, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Seizures and therapy in adolescents with uncomplicated epilepsy
- 2003
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Ingår i: Seizure. - 1059-1311 .- 1532-2688. ; 12:4, s. 229-236
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This study aimed to describe seizures and their therapy among Swedish adolescents, aged 13–22, with active but uncomplicated epilepsy.Method: The adolescents answered questionnaires (158/193). Data were also obtained from medical records.Results: Epileptic seizure types could be specified in 92.1% of the cases. Predominant types were Primary Generalised Tonic–Clonic Seizures and Partial Complex Seizures with Secondary Generalisation. Clinical diagnoses by physicians were unspecified in 25.8%. Ninety percent were on antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), most commonly valproate and carbamazepine. New AEDs were used in 9.3% of the cases and polytherapy in 13.9%. More than 40% of the respondents had seizures despite AED treatment. Side effects of AEDs were experienced by 61%, most commonly tiredness, concentration difficulties and headache. Patients on polytherapy experienced significantly more side effects. The choice of a new AED over a traditional one was not related to seizure type or seizure control.Conclusions: Many adolescents had persistent seizures despite treatment at a specialist regional epilepsy centre. This, plus the high reported rate of side effects of AED treatment, suggests that treatment is not optimal for the group studied. As traditional AEDs strongly dominated treatment possibly newly marketed AEDs are underused in this group.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Rorsman, Ia, et al.
(författare)
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Recovery of cognitive and emotional functioning following withdrawal of topiramate maintenance therapy
- 2001
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Ingår i: Seizure. - : Elsevier BV. - 1532-2688 .- 1059-1311. ; 10:8, s. 592-595
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present investigation reports cognitive improvement following withdrawal of topiramate (TPM) maintenance therapy in two patients with intractable seizures. The first patient received a neuropsychological evaluation after 10 months of adjunctive TPM treatment and was reassessed after complete withdrawal. The second patient received a first evaluation without TPM therapy. A reassessment was conducted after 13 weeks of stable TPM add-on therapy, and a third evaluation was performed after TPM withdrawal. During TPM treatment, the first patient demonstrated dysfunction on both verbal and non-verbal measures, suggesting bilateral impairment. Reassessment yielded cognitive improvement, and was consistent with a lateralized lesion as supported by seizure semiology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electroencephalogram (EEG) data. The second patient showed cognitive and emotional declines during TPM therapy. Reassessment, without TPM, demonstrated recovery on a majority of variables. These results illustrate the risk for considerable cognitive side effects after TPM habituation and support good recovery after withdrawal. Attempting to withdraw TPM and conducting a re-evaluation may be especially justified in the presence of a deflated neuropsychological profile that is inconsistent with a patient's estimated level of cognitive functioning. Reducing the influence of medical effects that could mimic bilateral dysfunction is particularly important in presurgical evaluations.
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| 5. |
- Räty, Lena K.A, et al.
(författare)
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The relationship between illness severity, sociodemographic factors, general self-concept, and illness-specific attitude in Swedish adolescents with epilepsy
- 2004
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Ingår i: Seizure. - : Elsevier BV. - 1059-1311 .- 1532-2688. ; 13:6, s. 375-382
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between the epilepsy condition (illness severity), sociodemographic factors, general self-concept, and illness-specific attitude in adolescents with uncomplicated epilepsy.Methods: Adolescents, aged 13–22, fulfilling criteria registered in four Swedish hospitals, answered questionnaires (n=149). The instruments “I think I am” and “Sense of coherence” measured the patients’ general self-concept. The “Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale” measured illness-specific attitude. A summary score (index) calculated from seizure frequency, seizure type, and antiepileptic drug (AED) with side effects measured “Illness Severity”.Results: Illness severity was significantly related to the participants’ general self-concept, as well as to their attitude toward their condition; i.e. higher illness severity scores were correlated with lower sense of coherence (SOC), poorer self-esteem, and a more negative attitude towards the epilepsy condition. Females had more severe illness according to the Illness Severity Index, with almost 80% found in the moderate and high severity groups as compared to 63% of males in the moderate/high severity groups.Conclusions: It was concluded that the severity of the epilepsy condition was related to the adolescents’ general self-concept and illness-specific attitude, but further research is needed to understand the causality of the relationship. The brief assessment of illness severity, constructed and used in this study should be addressed and developed further.
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| 6. |
- Räty, L., et al.
(författare)
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The relationship between illness severity, sociodemographic factors, general self-perception and illness-specific attitude in Swedish young people with epilepsy
- 2004
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Ingår i: Seizure. - : Elsevier BV. - 1059-1311 .- 1532-2688. ; 13:6, s. 375-382
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between the epilepsy condition (illness severity), sociodemographic factors, general self-concept, and illness-specific attitude in adolescents with uncomplicated epilepsy. Methods: Adolescents, aged 13–22, fulfilling criteria registered in four Swedish hospitals, answered questionnaires (n=149). The instruments “I think I am” and “Sense of coherence” measured the patients’ general self-concept. The “Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale” measured illness-specific attitude. A summary score (index) calculated from seizure frequency, seizure type, and antiepileptic drug (AED) with side effects measured “Illness Severity”. Results: Illness severity was significantly related to the participants’ general self-concept, as well as to their attitude toward their condition; i.e. higher illness severity scores were correlated with lower sense of coherence (SOC), poorer self-esteem, and a more negative attitude towards the epilepsy condition. Females had more severe illness according to the Illness Severity Index, with almost 80% found in the moderate and high severity groups as compared to 63% of males in the moderate/high severity groups. Conclusions: It was concluded that the severity of the epilepsy condition was related to the adolescents’ general self-concept and illness-specific attitude, but further research is needed to understand the causality of the relationship. The brief assessment of illness severity, constructed and used in this study should be addressed and developed further.
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