La Aspace Catalonia Foundationa continues to bet on scientific research. Thanks to this conviction, a prestigious international magazine, "Epilepsy & Behavior", has published an article called "Risk Factors and Outcome of Epilepsy in Adults with Cerebral Palsy or Intellectual Disability", an article that emerged from a study carried out by researchers from Aspace Catalunya with patients from this institution.
The majority of studies had been carried out in the pediatric population and, therefore, this research opens the door to a better understanding of epilepsy in adults with these special conditions. Until now, very little was known about the long-term evolution of this disease in this group of people. The objective of the study has been to analyze the factors that are associated with the onset of epilepsy, and how it affects the lives of these adults.
The results of the research are revealing. Epilepsy has been found to be more common in adults with cerebral palsy or previously thought intellectual disability. In fact, more than half of this population, specifically 55,6% suffer from this neurological disease. And 22,4% of these cases are resistant to available treatments, which means they need more effective medical solutions.
The study was carried out based on the analysis of the clinical histories of 306 people with cerebral palsy or intellectual disability. The researchers followed these people for an average of 19 years and identified several risk factors associated with epilepsy; the cerebral palsy, the spastic subtype, hemorrhagic causes and the neuroimaging abnormalities.
Un key point is that the clinical severity of cerebral palsy and intellectual disability is related to a greater risk of epilepsy, and to drug resistance. This puts of state the importance of adequate medical follow-up for this group of people and the need to develop new treatments.
In addition, the study showed that about half of the patients who withdrew antiepileptic treatment experienced a recurrence of seizures, especially in the first months after withdrawal. This recurrence was related to the presence of epileptic activity detected in electroencephalogram records.
These conclusions they emphasize the need to make progress in the detection and treatment of mental disorders in people with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability. This would not only improve their quality of life, but also open the door to more personalized treatments and more effective long-term management for those who suffer from epilepsy.
One of the strategic lines of the Aspace Catalonia Foundation is to continue advancing in different lines of research that improve the quality of life of the people we have. And we encourage all professionals in this search for opportunities to achieve a scientific, technological and social impact that provide new perspectives for the future.
