Treatment of epilepsy in adults: Expert opinion in China

Abstract

ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to survey a group of epileptologists in China regarding the treatment of adult epilepsy. MethodsA questionnaire on treatment of adult epilepsy was sent to a group of opinion leaders in the field of epilepsy. ResultsFor initial monotherapy for idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE), valproate was rated as the treatment of choice. In symptomatic localization-related epilepsy (SLRE)/simple partial seizures and SLRE/complex partial seizures, carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine were the respective treatments of choice, whereas in SLRE/secondarily generalized tonic–clonic seizures, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and oxcarbazepine were treatments of choice. For women who were pregnant or trying to conceive, lamotrigine was the treatment of choice for both IGE and SLRE. In people with epilepsy who were HBsAg positive, whether liver function was normal or not, topiramate and levetiracetam were treatments of choice for IGE. Valproate and levetiracetam were treatments of choice for seizures in the emergency department. ConclusionA high level of consensus was reached on most treatments of choice and first-line treatments for patients with epilepsy, which were in accordance with published US expert opinion.