Common Epilepsy, Migraine Drug Won't Raise Odds for Autism in Offspring

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 21, 2024
• Full Page

A common antiseizure drug used to treat epilepsy, migraines and bipolar disorder does not appear to increase the risk of autism for kids exposed to it in the womb, ...

Service Dogs May Lessen Seizure Frequency in Folks With Epilepsy

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 29, 2024
• Full Page

Perhaps by reducing anxiety, a service dog can help reduce seizures in people with tough-to-treat epilepsy, a new study finds.

A group of 25 study participants had an average 31% fewer seizures after months of owning a service dog trained to help people with epilepsy.

Spotting Epilepsy in Kids Isn't Always Easy: Know the Signs

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• December 6, 2023
• Full Page

Neurologist Dr. Deborah Holder says she often has parents come to her with kids who've experienced what they call "funny spells."

"Sometimes I start talking to a parent and find out the paren...

Cognitive Decline May Come Earlier for People With Epilepsy

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 5, 2023
• Full Page

People with epilepsy suffer quicker declines in thinking than people without the brain disorder, particularly if they also have risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes, a new study finds.

The difference was significant: Over the course of the 14-year study, tho...

Surgery Helps Kids With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy, But Race Could Hinder Access

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 5, 2023
• Full Page

Black, Hispanic and low-income kids are less likely to receive surgery that can treat their drug-resistant epilepsy, a new study finds.

Researchers discovered that children on anti-seizure drugs who received vagus nerve stimulation were 35% more likely to be alive after ...

Teens With Epilepsy Face Higher Odds for Eating Disorders

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 4, 2023
• Full Page

Teenagers with epilepsy are more likely to have an eating disorder than those not suffering from the brain disease, a new study shows.

About 8.4% of children ages 10 to 19 treated at a Boston epilepsy clinic had eating disorders, three times the national average of 2.7% ...

Could You Recognize the More Subtle Signs of a Seizure?

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• November 2, 2023
• Full Page

A seizure doesn't always look like what you see in the movies, but a new survey finds most Americans don't know what the more subtle signs of seizures are.

"Anything that interrupts your brain's circuit can cause seizures, from tumors, infections and strokes to high or l...

Experimental Drug Could Rein in Epilepsy Seizures

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• October 10, 2023
• Full Page

For people with tough-to-treat epilepsy, seizures can be both frightening and dangerous, but a new experimental pill may bring significant relief to over one-third of them.

Dubbed XEN1101, the new drug reduced the frequency of seizures by more than 50%, or even eliminate...

Seizures While Driving Highlight Importance of Early  Diagnosis of Epilepsy

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• June 9, 2023
• Full Page

Before learning they had epilepsy, about 5% of people who have what's called focal epilepsy had a seizure while driving, new research suggests.

"Seizures while driving pose substantial risks for those experiencing them and for others on the road,"said study author

Alzheimer's Genes Might Also Raise Odds for Epilepsy

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• May 25, 2023
• Full Page

People with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease may have an increased risk of epilepsy, a new study says. And folks with a certain type of epilepsy may have higher odds of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Having Alzheimer's was linked to a 5.3% increased risk...

Neighborhoods May Matter When It Comes to Epilepsy

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• April 20, 2023
• Full Page

For people with epilepsy, living in lower-income neighborhoods is associated with worse mental functioning, new research suggests.

For the study, the researchers looked at the memory, thinking ability and mental health of people with epilepsy, and found differences based...

Fear of Public Spaces Is Common in People With Epilepsy

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• January 30, 2023
• Full Page

Many adults with epilepsy have agoraphobia, or a fear of public places, new research suggests.

That impacts quality of life and is something doctors should include in other screening that looks for anxiety or depression, the investigators said.

"We know that agora...

Black, Hispanic People With Epilepsy Often Miss Out on Latest Meds

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• January 12, 2023
• Full Page

American adults who have epilepsy and are Black or Hispanic are less likely than white adults to be prescribed the latest medications, according to new research.

"While finding the right medication is often a trial-and-error process that is based on the individual, studi...

Severe Seizures Are Rising, Especially Among Minorities

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• December 5, 2022
• Full Page

Growing numbers of Americans are suffering prolonged, life-threatening seizures known as status epilepticus, and Black people are nearly twice as likely to experience these seizures as white people.

These are the main findings from new research looking at hospitaliz...

Vicious Cycle: Epilepsy Seizures Could Encourage More Seizures

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 5, 2022
• Full Page

Seizures tend to get progressively worse over time in people with epilepsy, and a new study in mice suggests why that might be the case.

Seizures appear to prompt the brains of mice to produce more myelin, the insulating layer around nerve cells, researchers from Stanfor...

Seizures Seem Tied to Faster Decline in People With Dementia

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 2, 2022
• Full Page

Dementia patients who suffer from seizures tend to decline faster and die younger, according to a new study that urges caregivers to watch for these sudden brain changes.

"Our hope is that controlling seizures by prescribing antiseizure medications to these patients will...

Cost of Epilepsy Meds Continues to Soar

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 2, 2022
• Full Page

Costs for epilepsy medications in the United States are skyrocketing, outpacing inflation and straining federal insurers Medicare and Medicaid, according to new research.

Spending on antiseizure medications more than doubled in eight years for the government insurers, la...

Seizure Risk Rises in Months After COVID

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 17, 2022
• Full Page

A bout of COVID-19, even a milder one, may raise the risk of having a seizure in the next six months, a large new study suggests.

Researchers found that of over 300,000 Americans who had suffered a case of COVID-19 or the flu, COVID sufferers were 55% more likely to be d...

Weight-Loss Surgery Linked to New-Onset Epilepsy

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• September 29, 2022
• Full Page

Weight-loss surgery can change a person's life and health, but new research warns it might also come with a slight risk of developing epilepsy.

People who had the surgery had a 45% relative increased risk of developing

Could High-Dose Folic Acid Raise COVID Risks?

• By Sydney Murphy HealthDay Reporter
• September 6, 2022
• Full Page

Folic acid, a B vitamin that's used widely to fortify foods and lower the risk of birth defects, may carry a hidden risk for those who have to take huge quantities of it: A new study shows those folks were more likely to get COVID-19 and to die from it.

"We examined whet...

Pregnancy Can Be Anxious Time for Women With Epilepsy

• By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 18, 2022
• Full Page

Pregnant women with epilepsy battle anxiety and depression more often than their peers who aren't pregnant or don't have epilepsy, a new study reveals.

"The good news is we did not find that pregnant women with epilepsy were any more likely to have episodes of