Ioannou, Persefoni;
Foster, Daniella L;
Sander, Josemir W;
Dupont, Sophie;
Gil-Nagel, Antonio;
Drogon O'Flaherty, Ewa;
Alvarez-Baron, Elena;
(2022)
The burden of epilepsy and unmet need in people with focal seizures.
Brain and Behavior
, Article e2589. 10.1002/brb3.2589.
(In press).
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions worldwide. As a chronic condition, epilepsy imposes a significant burden on people with epilepsy and society. We aimed to assess the burden and unmet need of individuals with epilepsy and their caregivers, focusing on focal seizures, the main type of seizure in adults and children. METHODS: A targeted evidence review of the burden of epilepsy, focusing on focal seizures, was conducted to identify articles reporting: epidemiology, mortality, morbidity, quality of life (QoL), and costs. RESULTS: Focal seizures affect up to ∼61% of people with epilepsy. They are associated with an increased risk of injury and premature death than the general population. People with epilepsy also have high comorbidity, particularly depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairments. Higher seizure frequency, adverse treatment events, and employment concerns reduce QoL. A reduction in caregivers' QoL is also often reported. Epilepsy requires long-term treatment accounting for high individual costs. Hospitalizations and antiseizure medications (ASMs) are the leading cost drivers of inpatient management and indirect costs with high unemployment rates, particularly in drug-resistant populations. Despite the advent of new treatments, a high unmet need remains unaddressed; approximately 40% of people with epilepsy are drug-resistant, further increasing the risks associated with epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight a substantial burden of illness and unmet needs in individuals with focal seizures, especially those with drug-resistant epilepsy. Suboptimal treatment options negatively impact QoL and, consequently, a sizeable economic burden indicating the need for new treatments and prioritizing this condition.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The burden of epilepsy and unmet need in people with focal seizures |
| Location: | United States |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1002/brb3.2589 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2589 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | antiseizure medication, caregivers, costs, drug-resistant epilepsy, quality of life |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10154894 |
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