Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome And Its Treatments

What is Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome?

Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, also known as Childhood Epileptic Encephalopathy, is a type of seizure disorder usually affecting children ranging from ages 2 to 6 years of age. The various types of seizure condition which is typical in LGS usually starts at an early age. When patients affected by Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome feel extremely tired, they usually have myoclonic seizures as a result, while 90% of these children experience tonic seizures at night. LGS, as aforementioned, is characterized by various type of seizures such as atonic, atypical, absence, complex partial, focalized and tonic-clonic seizure disorders as well as status epilepticus, the extreme form of seizure disorder which affects half of the number of afflicted patients. The discomforts brought by Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome in children who are in their developing years often involve problems in their psycho-motor development and they often have problems in their behavior and psychology. Various managements used in treating Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome are available.

What are the Possible Treatments For Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome?

Some interventions used for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome include traditional antiepileptic medications, unconventional treatments such as Ketogenic diet as well as extreme forms of interventions which include surgical operations. This being said, there are no grounds of scientific study which can attribute to the effectiveness of any of these treatments.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions for LGS are Corpus Callostomy and Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Corpus Callostomy was regarded as a palliative treatment rather than a curative one since it typically reduces drop attacks but does not hinder the occurrence of a seizure while vagus nerve stimulation is an FDA approved adjunct therapy used to treat refractory partial-onset seizures. Ketogenic diet, however, is the widely used remedy for this seizure disorder wherein high rate of fat intake is kept in comparison to the ratio of proteins and carbohydrates. Reduced seizure attacks and drowsy feelings were observed due to this treatment as well as improved behavior skills are often seen.

To prevent complications from pharmacological interventions, LGS treatments ideally involve less pharmaceutical agents. Pharmaceutical agents used in treating Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome include benzodiazepines (such as Clonazepam, Nitrazepam and Clobazam) and Valproic acid as well as medications used in double-blind placebo-controlled study such as Felbamate and Rufinamide and Topiramate (brand name Topamax, an anticonvulsant, antiepileptic drug manufactured by two subsidiaries of the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson). Rising number of Topamax complaints, though, point to complications experienced by pregnant women who reported they took the drug which allegedly lead to the birth of children with birth defects such as cleft palate and/or cleft lip. To learn more about case, visit related sites available.