Brivaracetam and Oxcarbazepine Work Well for Childhood Epilepsy

Source: Seizure

Summary

A study was conducted to compare two medications, brivaracetam and oxcarbazepine, in treating children with self-limited focal epilepsies (SeLFEs). The research involved 50 children aged 2 to 18 years who were randomly assigned to receive either brivaracetam or oxcarbazepine for six months. The main goal was to see how many children became seizure-free after this period, along with assessing their behavior and overall functioning.

The results showed that both medications were effective, with 92% of children on brivaracetam and 86% on oxcarbazepine being seizure-free after six months. Both groups also experienced improvements in epilepsy severity and social maturity, but there were no significant differences between the two medications in these areas. Additionally, no major behavioral issues were reported, and only one child in the oxcarbazepine group had to stop the medication due to a skin rash.

These findings are important because they suggest that brivaracetam and oxcarbazepine can be similarly effective and safe for treating SeLFEs in children. However, this study had a small number of participants and was conducted at a single center, which means more research is needed to confirm these results in larger and more diverse groups.

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