Abstract

A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON THE PRESCRIBING PATTERN OF ANTI – EPILEPTIC DRUGS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN INDIA

*Shaghayegh Saraili and Dr. Balakeshwa Ramaiah

ABSTRACT

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent and unprovoked seizures and is one of the most common neurological disorders in the adult. Absence seizure, atonic seizure, clonic seizure, tonic seizure, tonic-clonic seizure and myoclonic seizure are the known differential types of seizure; Anti-epileptic drug (AED) treatment is the main therapeutic approach for managing epilepsy. Methods and Materials: Study is considered as a prospective observational Study. This is based on 126 samples of both genders from inpatient wards at a tertiary care hospital used in study; we are followed up the cases with anti-epileptic therapy and prescription (oral / systemic) that are diagnosed with epilepsy and seizure or had history of them. Results: 126 patients included for evaluations of the results, 67.17% of them were male and 26.98% of them were female, ages between 46 to 65 years old were more subjected to AEDs; those had history of anti-epilepsy drug usage on their records were 64 number of patient (50.79%), 57.14% of patient had history of seizure and epilepsy on their backgrounds and 46.82% of patient were diagnosed with seizure and epilepsy as the main objectives of study. Most anti-epilepsy drugs used among patients were Levetiracetam (71.53%) and Pregabalin (10.94%) as new class of anti-epilepsy drugs; the average of anti-epilepsy drugs used among patients is 1.08 drugs per patients near by the 6.35% of patients were under multi-therapy anti-epilepsy treatment and 93.65 % of the patients being monotherapy of anti-epilepsy. Conclusion: Men are the most subjected to anti-epilepsy drugs, the median age of patients were 56 years old. Levetiracetam was the main common anti-epilepsy drug used among patients, newer anti-epilepsy drugs are used in a large scale while the old drugs are used in low numbers that can be presented as scale of 3:1. Anti-epilepsy drugs are prescribed in monotherapy form largely. The patients are presented with history of seizure or epilepsy more than their diagnosis in hospital therefore AEDs are used mostly for prophylaxes and recurrent seizures control.

Keywords: epilepsy drugs are prescribed in monotherapy form largely. The patients are presented with history of seizure or epilepsy more than their diagnosis in hospital therefore AEDs are used mostly for prophylaxes and recurrent seizures control.