Most people with epilepsy can be successfully treated with medicines known as anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). AEDs do not cure epilepsy, but can prevent seizures from occurring. There are many different AEDs.Generally, theywork by changing the levels of the chemicals in your brain that conduct electrical impulses. This reduces the chance of a seizure. The drugs used to treat epilepsy are often referred to as first-line and second-line drugs. This does not mean that one type of drug is better than the other, but it refers to when the drugs were first introduced. First-line drugs are older and have treated epilepsy for decades. Second-line drugs are much newer. The type of drug prescribed depends largely on the kind of seizures that you have. The older first-line AEDs include sodium valproate, carbamazepine,phenytoin andphenobarbital. Newer second-line AEDs are recommended if there is a reason why you cannot take AEDs, if there is concern about an older AED interacting with other drugs (such as the contraceptive pill), or if you are thinking of having a baby. Newer AEDs include gabapentin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, tiagabine,topamax and vigabatrin. Levetiracetam is not recommended for children, but the others are recommended if older AEDs do not benefit children … Continue reading →

Autism - Etiology: Autism and disorders resembling autism can be caused by a number of disorders, including Fragile X Syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and phenylketonuria, and by at least one notable chromosomal abnormality, an inverted duplication of a portion of chromosome 15. But for the vast majority of cases of autism today, there is no strictly genetic explanation. As with many chronic disorders, most cases of autism appear to be caused by some genetic predisposition coupled with some early environmental insult. Several recently-released reports point to the occurrence of an autism "epidemic" with the latest incidence figures quoted to be on the order of 1 out of every 250 children. The Report on Autism to the California Legislature released in 1999 documents a large increase in full-blown DSM IV autism alone, with other disorders increasing at the same rate as population growth. F. E. Yazbak, M.D. found similar rates of increasing incidence in other states reported in his Autism 99: A National Emergency. The Center for Disease Controls own investigation of Brick township, New Jersey found a very high incidence of autism as well. Some noted sources attribute the apparent increase in autism incidence to better diagnoses on the part of … Continue reading →

Kingwood Medical Center has received the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for the treatment of stroke patients. The award recognizes Kingwood Medical Centers commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted guidelines. This marks the second year that Kingwood Medical Center has been recognized with the Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award. Get With The Guidelines Stroke helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Kingwood Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include aggressive use of medications and risk-reduction therapies aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients. Kingwood Medical Center also received the associations Target: Stroke Honor Roll for meeting stroke quality measures that reduce the time between hospital arrival and treatment with the clot-buster tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to … Continue reading →

Improving public awareness and control of risk factors vital: by Carol Aloysius The number of stroke victims in Sri Lanka is among the highest in the world and is likely to reach frightful levels in the future, President, National Stroke Association of Sri Lanka (NSASL) Dr. Udaya Ranawaka said. Dr. Ranawaka told the media on World Stroke Day, (October 29) that two recent studies had revealed that one percent of the population had suffered a stroke. Improving public awareness on stroke, early recognition of symptoms and control of risk factors are vital to minimise the number, he said. Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena launched the Global Stroke Bill of Rights recognising the rights of stroke victims for speedy recovery and rehabilitation on the occasion. He said that the number of strokes, the second leading cause for mortality in Sri Lanka, could be minimised by drastically reducing the excess use of salt and sugar in food and quitting smoking, which are the main causes of non communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and stroke. Director General Health Services Dr. Palitha Mahipala said that although the number of stroke victims is now around 210,000, due to the rapidly ageing population the … Continue reading →