New concept on diagnosis and treatment of women with epilepsy: pay attention to management at different periods

Abstract

Epilepsy is a common chronic disease of the nervous system. Women with epilepsy (WWE) have special characteristics compared to male patients. Epileptic seizures or antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can affect women's physiological development at different periods, therefore, many factors should be considered when selecting AEDs, and optimal treatment strategies should be designed according to "different periods". WWE are prone to suffer from comorbid diseases such as affective disorders, psychological disorders, mental disorders and sleep disorders. Protracted course of epilepsy and lack of management can lead to great harm. So it is necessary to emphasize the concept of "value management". Taking WWE as the center, full consideration should be given to individual needs, and attention should be paid to the entire treatment process. Long?term follow?up plans must be formulated at the same time of controlling seizures to minimize drug adverse reactions and reduce the occurrence of comorbid diseases by all possible means.

DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2018.05.001