THE COURSE OF PARTIAL AND IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSIES IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Abstract

In present manuscript 96 pregnant women with epilepsy aged 17 years to 41 years have been studied. Partial forms of epilepsy have been determined in 65 women (68%), generalized forms - in 31 (32%). In 11 (11%) women seizures first appeared during this pregnancy. The seizure frequency increased in 23 (27%), decreased in 21 (25%), remained unchanged in 14 (16%), 27 (32%) of women were seizure-free during pregnancy. 13 women (15.29%) were seizure-free for the one year prior to pregnancy. During the pregnancy only 3 of them had seizures, 10 women (76.9%) remained seizure-free. 68 (71%) pregnant women received antiepileptic drugs (AED), 22 (23%) - did not received, 6 (6%) stopped taking AEDs from 7-9 weeks of pregnancy. Seizure frequency increased in 20 (31.25%) of 64 women with epilepsy diagnosed before pregnancy and taking AEDs, and it can be explained by non-compliance with the regimen and therapy and sleep deprivation in 16 (80%) of them. Seizures were better controlled in pregnant women with idiopathic forms of epilepsy compared with pregnant women with partial forms. In general, the significant control of seizures (seizure frequency decreased in 25%, seizure-free women - 32%) has been achieved in majority of surveyed pregnant women with epilepsy. The study demonstrated the influence of non-compliance with the regimen and therapy, sleep deprivation and the epilepsy type on the frequency of seizures during pregnancy.