engleski

Mono and polytherapy in everyday practice - our experience

Purpose: To evaluate factors which could have an influence on the number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in epilepsy treatment and to correlate the number of AEDs in therapy with disease control. Method: 248 patients with epilepsy were included in the analysis.Inclusion criteria were the diagnosis of epilepsy, good compliance and available brain MRI finding. Results: There is statistically significant difference in the number of AEDs in therapy between patients with good seizure control and nonresponders to the AED therapy (p < 0.001). Twenty-nine different combinations were used in patients on two AEDs, twenty-seven in patients with three AEDs and fourteen in patients on four AEDs. Patients on four and more AEDs in therapy are all non-responders.In the group of patients with good seizure control the number of AEDs in therapy has no influence on the length of the seizure free period(p = 0.11). There is no statistically significant difference between patient swith generalised and those with partial seizures as First presentation of the disease and the number of AEDs in the further therapy (p = 0.08). Patients experiencing more than one seizure type in their history take more AEDs than those with only one seizure type (p < 0.001) ; they also have shorter seizure free period than those with only one seizure type (p = 0.007). Epilepsy etiology has no influence on the number of AEDs in therapy(p = 0.94). Conclusion: Initial presentation of the disease and the ethiology have no influence on the number of AEDs in therapy while more different seizure types in patient's hystory increases the possibility of higher number of AEDs in the further therapy and lower seizure control.

epilepsy ; monotherapy ; polytherapy

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