Various Aspects of Epilepsy Diagnosis and Treatment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly and globally spreading novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The purpose of this review is to summarize the available data about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with epilepsy, epilepsy diagnosis and treatment and focus attention on the consensus measures about their optimization. We have presented the different aspects of associations between epilepsy and COVID-19 - medical history of epilepsy and COVID-19, seizures and/or status epilepticus and COVID-19. Neurologists and patients with epilepsy face a variety of challenges in the process of disease management - challenges related to precaution measures, worsening of seizure control, performance and interpretation of diagnostic procedures, choice of antiepileptic drugs and antiviral agents due to drug-drug interactions, adverse events, reduced supplies, as well as challenges associated with increased level of emotional stress and uncertainty and worse levels of physical fitness. They require adequate coping strategies regarding COVID-19 prevention, good seizure control maintenance, delay of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures when possible, correct EEG performance and interpretation, minimizing the risk of adverse drug-drug interactions, providing telemedicine services, purchase of the prescribed antiepileptic drugs for a longer period of time, maintaining mental health and physical fitness lifestyle, spreading of correct information through reliable sources. Conclusion: The variety of diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for patients with epilepsy and caring neurologists during COVID-19 pandemic require timely, adequate and multi-aspect coping strategies, as well as individual approach to every patient to prevent complications.