Cannabidiol (CBD) is approved for treatment of Dravet syndrome (DS), Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Several studies suggest antiseizure effects also beyond these three epilepsy syndromes.

The aim of this study was to provide seizure etiology, semiology, underlying conditions, and out-of- and in-hospital diagnostics, treatment, and outcome data on children with out-of- or in-hospital-onset status epilepticus (SE) according to the International League Against Epilepsy definition that required admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for ≥4 hours.

This study was performed to identify coexisting structural lesions in patients with epilepsy and known temporal encephaloceles (TEs).

The phenotypic and genotypic spectrum of adult patients with epilepsy and intellectual disability (ID) is less clear than in children. We investigated an adult patient cohort to further elucidate this and inform the genetic testing approach.

We performed a systematic literature review and narrative synthesis according to a pre-registered protocol (Prospero: CRD42022376561) to identify the evidence associated with the burden of illness in Dravet syndrome (DS), a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy characterized by drug-resistant epilepsy with neurocognitive and neurobehavioral impairment. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and APA PsychInfo, Cochrane's database of systematic reviews, and Epistemonikos from inception to June 2022. Non-interventional studies reporting on epidemiology (incidence, prevalence, and mortality), patient and caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQoL), direct and indirect costs and healthcare resource utilization were eligible. Two reviewers independently carried out the screening. Pre-specified data were extracted and a narrative synthesis was conducted. Overall, 49 studies met the inclusion criteria. The incidence varied from 1:15 400-1:40 900, and the prevalence varied from 1.5 per 100 000 to 6.5 per 100 000. Mortality was reported in 3.7%-20.8% of DS patients, most commonly due to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and status epilepticus. Patient HRQoL, assessed by caregivers, was lower than in non-DS epilepsy patients; mean scores (0 [worst] to 100/1 [best]) were 62.1 for the Kiddy KINDL/Kid-KINDL, 46.5-54.7 for the PedsQL and 0.42 for the EQ-5D-5L. Caregivers, especially mothers, were severely affected, with impacts on their time, energy, sleep, career, and finances, while siblings were also affected. Symptoms of depression were reported in 47%-70% of caregivers. Mean total direct costs were high across all studies, ranging from $11 048 to $77 914 per patient per year (PPPY), with inpatient admissions being a key cost driver across most studies. Mean costs related to lost productivity were only reported in three publications, ranging from approximately $19 000 to $20 000 PPPY ($17 596 for mothers vs $1564 for fathers). High seizure burden was associated with higher resource utilization, costs and poorer HRQoL. The burden of DS on patients, caregivers, the healthcare system, and society is profound, reflecting the severe nature of the syndrome. Future studies will be able to assess the impact that newly approved therapies have on reducing the burden of DS.