Which terms should be used to describe medications used in the treatment of seizure disorders? An ILAE position paper.
Publication/Presentation Date
3-1-2024
Abstract
A variety of terms, such as "antiepileptic," "anticonvulsant," and "antiseizure" have been historically applied to medications for the treatment of seizure disorders. Terminology is important because using terms that do not accurately reflect the action of specific treatments may result in a misunderstanding of their effects and inappropriate use. The present International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) position paper used a Delphi approach to develop recommendations on English-language terminology applicable to pharmacological agents currently approved for treating seizure disorders. There was consensus that these medications should be collectively named "antiseizure medications". This term accurately reflects their primarily symptomatic effect against seizures and reduces the possibility of health care practitioners, patients, or caregivers having undue expectations or an incorrect understanding of the real action of these medications. The term "antiseizure" to describe these agents does not exclude the possibility of beneficial effects on the course of the disease and comorbidities that result from the downstream effects of seizures, whenever these beneficial effects can be explained solely by the suppression of seizure activity. It is acknowledged that other treatments, mostly under development, can exert direct favorable actions on the underlying disease or its progression, by having "antiepileptogenic" or "disease-modifying" effects. A more-refined terminology to describe precisely these actions needs to be developed.
Volume
65
Issue
3
First Page
533
Last Page
541
ISSN
1528-1167
Published In/Presented At
Perucca, E., French, J. A., Aljandeel, G., Balestrini, S., Braga, P., Burneo, J. G., Felli, A. C., Cross, J. H., Galanopoulou, A. S., Jain, S., Jiang, Y., Kälviäinen, R., Lim, S. H., Meador, K. J., Mogal, Z., Nabbout, R., Sofia, F., Somerville, E., Sperling, M. R., Triki, C., … Kapur, J. (2024). Which terms should be used to describe medications used in the treatment of seizure disorders? An ILAE position paper. Epilepsia, 65(3), 533–541. https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.17877
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
38279786
Department(s)
Department of Medicine
Document Type
Article