Cognition, behavior, and the ILAE Classification of the Epilepsies: A view from Africa

Abstract

Recent ILAE revisions to the definition and classification of the epilepsies have highlighted cognitive-behavioral comorbidities (CBCs). Integrating a CBC dimension within a formal classification scheme would more fully account for the burden of epilepsy. This would be technically challenging, because we use fundamentally different methods to conceptualize, define, and diagnose CBCs that require additional expertise. In low resource settings such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), CBC burden is high. Existing classification systems are inevitably simplified in practice, because complex classifications require training and technologies that rarely exist in these settings. This makes low-resource settings a good place to develop simple methods to integrate CBCs into existing classifications so that they ultimately will communicate the full burden of epilepsy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "The new approach to classification: Rethinking cognition and behavior in epilepsy".