Epilepsy in Clinical Practice: Disease Burden, Diagnosis, Comorbidities, and the Role of Genetics
In this initial segment, epileptologist Jacqueline French, MD, discusses the often-overlooked burdens of epilepsy, including the anxiety of unpredictable seizures, mortality risk, and the demands of maintaining consistent treatment. For people with epilepsy, disease burden cannot be fully captured by counting seizures. The possibility that a seizure could occur without warning can affect how patients approach work, relationships, independence, and everyday activities, creating a persistent psychological burden even during periods when seizures are relatively infrequent.
In this episode, neurologist Jacqueline French, MD, outlines a practical approach to suspected epilepsy, including how clinical history, EEG, MRI, cell phone video, and prolonged monitoring can help establish and refine the diagnosis.
Beyond seizure control, Jacqueline French, MD, examines how clinicians can more proactively uncover psychiatric, cognitive, behavioral, sleep, and other comorbidities that shape the lives of patients with epilepsy.
Moving from pediatric to adult epilepsy care can disrupt years of accumulated clinical knowledge, and Jacqueline French, MD, outlines how stronger handoffs and longitudinal records can help preserve continuity.
Genetic testing is rapidly changing the evaluation of epilepsy, with some of its greatest diagnostic yield seen among children with seizures and developmental delay.
