Pharmacological treatment of primary headache: analysis of current practice from a drug utilization study.
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Adolescent↗
Biomedical subjects
E Beghi
Publications and source records attributed to E Beghi.
Ataxic hemiparesis syndrome: clinical and CT study of 20 new cases and review of the literature.
20 new cases of ataxic hemiparesis syndrome (AHS) are reported and the findings compared with those of published cases. AHS may be due to lesions either of the brainstem or of supratentorial structures, where motor fibers run together with the cerebro-cerebellar pathways. Specific syndromes related to the lesion site cannot be identified from the clinical signs. Ischemic infarct is the most frequent cause of the syndrome, but hemorrhagic, neoplastic and demyelinating lesions have also been reported.
Adult↗
Antiepileptic drug toxicity: definition and mechanism of action.
A detailed review of the adverse reactions of anticonvulsants is given, focusing on the definitions of drug toxicity, sources of information, patterns of drug utilization, pharmacokinetic variables and different mechanisms of action. The information available in the literature provides a wide spectrum of drug toxicity with no attempt at a practical definition of the reported events. This favors uncertainty among practising physicians, who are led to use the individual items with different attitudes. Suggestions are given for the evaluation, prevention and treatment of anticonvulsant drug toxicity.
Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
Early prognosis of epilepsy. Effects of treatment in the first follow-up year.
A multicenter prospective investigation was conducted in 17 teaching and general hospitals in Italy to assess the efficacy of the care delivered to previously untreated patients with epilepsy. 175 cases were included and allocated to monotherapy. Only 112 cases completed the first year of follow-up. Of these, 59 (52.7%) were completely controlled and 53 (47.3%) had one or more seizure relapses. Controlled and uncontrolled patients were compared with respect to the main variables believed to influence non-responsiveness to standard therapy. The proportion of cases with relapses was significantly associated with the number of seizures reported before treatment was started. Selected seizure patterns (absences, myoclonic seizures) and prolonged disease duration were also reported more frequently among patients with recurrences. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to drug response and prognosis of epilepsy.
Adolescent↗
Epidemiology of central nervous system infections in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1950-1981.
We identified all diagnosed cases of infections of the central nervous system (CNS), excluding poliomyelitis, in the population of Olmsted County, Minnesota, from 1950 to 1981 and described incidence, time trends, etiologic agents, and mortality for these infections. The adjusted incidence rate for bacterial meningitis was 8.6/100,000 person-years (with a case fatality ratio of 10%) and was highest in children less than five years of age; in this age-group, rates more than doubled from 1950 to 1981. The adjusted incidence rate of brain abscess was 1.1, with a case fatality ratio of 37%. The adjusted incidence rate of aseptic meningitis was 10.9/100,000 person-years. Age-specific rates were highest in children less than one year of age and in men, and increased during the study period. The adjusted incidence rate of viral encephalitis was 7.4, with a case fatality ratio of 3.8%. Rates were highest in children less than 10 years of age and in men. By 10 years of age, 0.9% of the men and 0.7% of the women were affected by a CNS infection. Cumulative incidence (risk) through age 80 was 2.3% for men and 1.5% for women.
Age Factors↗
Anticonvulsant drugs and bone metabolism.
The influence of chronic antiepileptic treatment on bone metabolism has been investigated in 52 adult epileptics, who had normal dietary intake, sunlight exposure and daily living activities. None of the patients had symptoms or signs suggestive of osteomalacia. Serum phosphate levels were significantly decreased and serum alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly increased in the patients compared with matched controls. Calcitonin values and bone mineral content, measured by single photon absorptiometry, were significantly lower among anticonvulsant users. Calcium metabolism impairment grossly correlated to the number of drugs concurrently used by the patient but not to the types, to the relative plasma concentrations or to the overall duration of the treatment. Our findings indicate that in ambulatory patients with adequate diet and outdoor activities in Italy present with clinically irrelevant impairment of bone metabolism.
Adolescent↗
Drug treatment of epilepsy. Outlines, criticism and perspectives.
This article focuses on important aspects relevant to the assessment of antiepileptic treatment and critically reviews the existing knowledge in this area. The principal variables considered are the commencement of treatment, choice of appropriate drug, efficacy of monotherapy, and cessation of treatment. When seizure recurrences after the first unprovoked seizure are considered, contradictory data have been provided on the role of early (i.e. after the first seizure) therapy in preventing relapses. The choice of the appropriate drug seems to be dictated more by clinical toxicity than by truly greater efficacy since there is no evidence of significant differences in efficacy among the 'major' anticonvulsants such as phenytoin, phenobarbitone, carbamazepine and primidone. Monotherapy is the preferred treatment, at least in previously untreated patients, since up to 90% of cases are completely controlled after variable periods of observation. Cessation of therapy after prolonged seizure control is followed by relapses in a varying percentage of cases depending on several factors, among which is the duration of the period of control. As yet, a definitive comparison of the available information has been prevented by major methodological differences and by partial investigation of the various aspects of the care of the patient with epilepsy. To provide a tentative answer to some of the open questions concerning the impact of anticonvulsant therapy on the prognosis of the disease, an alternative approach has been proposed, based on the active surveillance of a cohort of newly referred patients started on monotherapy in routine care conditions over a period of more than 5 years. The feasibility of this approach is being tested in a multicentre prospective study currently in progress in Italy.
Anticonvulsants↗
Adverse effects of anticonvulsant drugs--a critical review.
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Anticonvulsants↗
Guillain-Barré syndrome. Clinicoepidemiologic features and effect of influenza vaccine.
A study of the epidemiologic and clinical features of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the population of Olmsted County, Minnesota, over the 46-year period 1935 through 1980 was conducted through the centralized diagnostic index maintained at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. A total of 48 cases were identified, giving an age- and sex-adjusted incidence of 1.8 per 100,000 person-years. The rate increased over time from 1.2 in the interval 1935 through 1956 to 2.4 in the interval 1970 through 1980. Males were affected more than females (age-adjusted rates of 2.3 and 1.2, respectively). The rate increased with age from 0.8 in those under 18 years old to 3.2 for those 60 years and older. Antecedent infectious diseases were reported in 65% of the cases. Implications with regard to the incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with the A/New Jersey/76 (swine flu) vaccine are discussed.
Adolescent↗
Brachial plexus neuropathy in the population of Rochester, Minnesota, 1970-1981.
Brachial plexus neuropathy (BPN) is a clinical entity of unknown cause characterized by the acute or subacute onset of pain and weakness, with occasional atrophy of the arm muscles. Information on the incidence of the disease in a delineated population is lacking, as the data available on BPN have come essentially from case reports or selected series. Using the Mayo Clinic records-linkage system as the source of data, 579 clinical records were reviewed of Rochester, Minnesota, residents in which a diagnosis suggestive of BPN was reported for the period 1970 through 1981. Eleven cases fulfilled all criteria, providing an overall annual incidence rate of 1.64 cases per 100,000 population. An infectious disease and/or tetanus toxoid immunization preceded the onset of BPN in 4 cases. The upper brachial plexus was involved in 6 cases, the lower brachial plexus in 2, and the whole plexus in 3; in 1 case there was bilateral BPN. The neuropathy ran a mild to moderate course in 10 cases, and complete recovery was recorded in 6, with slight residua in the others. The occurrence of antecedent events and the features of the disease are supportive of the concept of an immune-mediated process.
Adult↗
Reye's syndrome: incidence and time trends in Olmsted County, MN, 1950-1981.
Incidence and time trends of Reye's syndrome have been determined in Olmsted County, MN, using the facilities of the Rochester Epidemiology Program Project at Mayo Clinic. Incidence rates in individuals under 18 years of age were 1.1 per 100,000 person-years in the 1970-75 time interval and 1.7 in the 1976-81 interval. Failure to identify any case in the earliest time interval yields a rate of zero, and an incidence higher than 0.6 per 100,000 can be excluded with 95% probability. This finding is consistent with an increasing incidence over time in this community and does not exclude the possibility that Reye's syndrome did not exist in Olmsted County before 1970.
Adolescent↗
Encephalitis and aseptic meningitis, Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1950-1981: I. Epidemiology.
All cases fulfilling stated criteria for encephalitis and aseptic meningitis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, for the period 1950 through 1981 were identified. This is, to our knowledge, the first such incidence and trend study in a delineated population, providing rates per 100,000 person-years of 7.4 for encephalitis (189 cases) and 10.9 for aseptic meningitis (283 cases). These are about twelve and six times higher, respectively, than the rates reported by the Centers for Disease Control. The rates have been stable over successive 5- or 10-year periods except for a recent increase in aseptic meningitis. Both conditions were more common in the summer months, in childhood, and among males. Viral identification using conventional laboratory tests has improved with time; in the period 1970 through 1981, virus type was specified in about one-fourth of the cases. The most common agents identified were California and mumps viruses in encephalitis, and entero and mumps viruses in aseptic meningitis. Antecedent and/or concurrent infections were noted in 42 and 35% of encephalitis and aseptic meningitis cases, respectively. No case due to mumps, measles, or rubella viruses has occurred since 1972, reflecting the impact of immunizations. Recovery was reported at the end of the acute phase in 95% of patients with aseptic meningitis, and there were no deaths. Seventy-eight percent of encephalitis patients recovered completely; the case fatality rate was 3.8%. Of the encephalitis cases, 2% were diagnosed initially postmortem.
Adolescent↗
[Epileptic crisis: guide to a correct identification and appropriate management].
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Adolescent↗
Quality of care of epilepsy in Italy: multi-hospital survey of diagnosis and treatment of 1104 epileptic patients.
We surveyed the treatment of 1104 patients admitted to 27 out of the 46 departments of neurology (64.5%), neurosurgery (23.0%), and child neurology (12.5%) of Lombardy, the largest Italian Region (population, 9,000,000). Our main aim was to assess the penetration of correct diagnostic and clinicopharmacological information into routine practice. A detailed analysis and discussion are given to data concerning reasons for hospital admission (therapeutic adjustment accounting for 27.3%; diagnostic ascertainment, 53.8%); characteristics of the disease, in terms of duration, clinical manifestations, and pattern of seizures; associated disorders; prevalence and criteria for the use of instrumental diagnostic procedures (EEG, brain scan, computed tomography, etc.); pattern of prescriptions of anticonvulsant drugs at admission and at discharge, with particular emphasis on specific drug choices by specialty; prevalence of single-drug therapy (41% at admission and 47.0% at discharge) versus polytherapy; degree of correspondence between recommended and observed dosage regimens (undertreatment being a more common problem than excessive dosing); and reporting of side effects. Although some of the findings of some recent studies are confirmed, this report documents the feasibility of a regular audit program of the performance of an entire health care system in the treatment of epilepsy.
Adolescent↗
Prognosis of epilepsy in newly referred patients: a multicenter prospective study. Collaborative Group for the Study of Epilepsy.
A multicenter prospective study was initiated at the time of first antiepileptic treatment for afebrile seizures with 283 unselected patients in Italy. Each patient started with monotherapy at standard daily doses. Data were collected at admission, at scheduled 6-month exams, and at unscheduled exams and included age, sex, general profile of the disease, and treatment. Prognosis of epilepsy was evaluated by actuarial methods using first seizure relapse after onset of treatment to indicate unfavorable prognosis. In addition, a maximum interval of complete seizure control was calculated and related to length of follow-up in order to grade the severity of the disease (defined as mild, moderate, or severe). The average length of follow-up was 21.6 months (range 2-40). Seizure relapse occurred in 52% of cases during follow-up (36% by 3 months, 43% by 6 months, and 49% by 12 months). A larger number of seizures before therapy and the presence of combined seizure patterns were the variables most commonly associated with relapse. In general, epilepsy was mild in 65% of the cases, moderate in 28%, and severe in 7%. The earlier the first relapse the higher the risk of developing more severe disease. A larger number of seizures before treatment, combined seizure types, earlier age at onset, and prolonged disease duration (1 month to 1 year) seemed to be more frequently associated with the development of moderate-to-severe epilepsy.
Actuarial Analysis↗
Classifications of epileptic syndromes: advantages and limitations for evaluation of childhood epileptic syndromes in clinical practice.
The advantages and limitations of the two most recent International League Against Epilepsy classifications of the epilepsies and epileptic syndromes have been assessed after examining the clinical records of 645 consecutive outpatients aged 1 month to 15 years followed at the Children's Epilepsy Center of the University of Milan, Italy, from 1977 through 1985. The percentage of cases that could be classified according to the 1970 and 1985 proposals for classification were 94.1 and 98.1%, respectively. According to the 1985 proposal, partial epilepsies (PE) and generalized epilepsies (GE) were almost equally represented (45.0 vs. 47.2%). Among PE, symptomatic epilepsies were the commonest variety. In the group of GE, idiopathic and/or symptomatic epilepsies were most common. Childhood absence epilepsy was the largest subgroup among idiopathic GE. Newly diagnosed patients, a less biased sample of the epileptic population represented 38.9% of the entire sample, and a proper classification was possible in 96% of cases. Idiopathic epilepsies were about twice as frequent and idiopathic and/or symptomatic GE less frequent in newly diagnosed patients when compared with the remainder. Marked differences in the frequency of the epilepsies were found in comparison with other reports in the literature which used the 1970 classification. This finding probably depends on different diagnostic assessment, selection bias, and different geographic and ethnic components, but it can also reflect the variable interpretation of the clinical and EEG features of a patient with epilepsy in the light of the artifactual categories of the classification.
Adolescent↗
Valproate, carnitine metabolism, and biochemical indicators of liver function. Collaborative Group for the Study of Epilepsy.
The effects of valproate (VPA) on carnitine and lipid metabolism and on liver function were assessed in 213 age- and sex-matched outpatients from five centers, with the following distribution: VPA monotherapy, 54; VPA polytherapy, 55; other monotherapies, 51; and untreated, 53. Mean total and free carnitine levels were significantly lower in patients with polytherapy; acylcarnitine was significantly higher for VPA monotherapy and the ratio of acyl- to free carnitine was significantly higher in all patients receiving VPA. Ammonia, uric acid, and bilirubin were the only tests selectively impaired with VPA. A significant correlation was found between serum ammonia and VPA dosage. Glucose, beta-lipoproteins, triglycerides, acetacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate were unchanged in the four groups. Sex and age appeared to interact with total and free carnitine values. Adverse drug reactions were apparently unrelated to carnitine metabolism impairment. Only a few patients had abnormal carnitine values. Our data support the assumption that carnitine deficiency and abnormal liver function due to VPA are mostly subclinical events.
Adolescent↗
Antiepileptic drugs and peripheral nerve function: a multicenter screening investigation of 141 patients with chronic treatment. Collaborative Group for the Study of Epilepsy.
One hundred forty-one adult patients treated for no less than 6 months with standard daily doses of the commonest antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were recruited in five Italian centers and submitted to intensive clinical and electrophysiologic investigation to assess the effects of AEDs on peripheral nerves. Eighty percent of the patients were receiving monotherapy. Carbamazepine (CBZ) was the most common AED (51 cases), followed by phenytoin (PHT) (46), phenobarbital (PB) (42), and valproate (VPA) (25). Fifty-three percent of the patients had one or more symptoms of polyneuropathy (paresthesias being the most common complaint). The neurologic examination was abnormal in 32%. Electrophysiologic findings in two or more separate nerves were abnormal in 77 patients (54.6%); of these, 27 (19.1%) had abnormal neurologic findings and 21 (14.9%) also had symptoms of polyneuropathy. Sensory functions were most frequently impaired. Sural nerve biopsy was performed in 4 patients receiving monotherapy with CBZ, PHT, PB, and VPA. Except in patients receiving VPA (in whom no morphologic abnormalities were detected), mild predominantly axonal damage with secondary myelin changes was noted. A correlation was noted between polyneuropathy, age of the patient and, to a lesser extent, receipt of two or more AEDs.
Adult↗