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. 2020 Apr 21:11:119-127.
doi: 10.2147/PROM.S243867. eCollection 2020.

Antiepileptic Drug Treatment Outcomes and Seizure-Related Injuries Among Adult Patients with Epilepsy in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Ethiopia

Beshir Bedru Nasir  1 , Yared Mamushet Yifru  2 , Ephrem Engidawork  1 , Meron Awraris Gebrewold  2 , Minyahil Alebachew Woldu  1 , Alemseged Beyene Berha  1
Affiliations

Antiepileptic Drug Treatment Outcomes and Seizure-Related Injuries Among Adult Patients with Epilepsy in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Ethiopia

Beshir Bedru Nasir et al. Patient Relat Outcome Meas. .

Abstract

Objective: Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are the primary therapeutic modalities for epilepsy management. However, one-third of epileptic patients continue to experience seizure even with appropriate AED use. Patients with epilepsy are at increased risk for seizure-related injury and they have higher incidences of home, street and work accidents. There is a paucity of data on AED use pattern and treatment outcomes among patients with epilepsy in the tertiary hospitals of Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess AED use pattern, treatment outcome, and prevalence of seizure-related injury among patients with epilepsy in Tikur Anbessa specialized Hospital (TASH), Ethiopia.

Patients and methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 291 patients with epilepsy attending the neurology clinic of TASH. A semi-structured questionnaire and data abstraction format were used to collect data through patient interview and medical chart review. Binary logistic regression was utilized to identify the associated factors of treatment outcome.

Results: About 172 (59%) of the patients were taking a single AED, in which phenobarbital, 195 (67%), and phenytoin, 97 (33.3%), were the most frequently prescribed AEDs as monotherapy and combination therapy. Headache, depressed mood and epigastric pain were frequently reported as adverse drug reactions. Seizure-related injury was reported among 78 (26.8%) patients and head injury 15 (5.2%), desntal injury 15 (5.2%), soft tissue injury 14 (4.8%) and burns 10 (3.4%) were the commonest. About two-thirds (191, 65.6%) of the study participants had uncontrolled seizure. Medication adherence and multiple AEDs were significantly associated with treatment outcome.

Conclusion: All the study participants were put on old generation AEDs with phenobarbital being the most frequently used. About two-thirds of the patients had uncontrolled seizure and seizure-related injury is still a serious concern among patients with epilepsy.

Keywords: Ethiopia; epilepsy; seizure-related injuries; treatment outcome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of Antiepileptic drugs used among patients with epilepsy attending the Neurology Clinic of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, 2017.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Seizure-free period of participants among patients with epilepsy attending the Neurology Clinic of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, 2017.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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