Update on treatment of epilepsy in people with intellectual disabilities

On the basis of the relevance of adequate epilepsy treatment (antiepileptic drugs, surgery and vagus nerve stimulation) for people with intellectual disabilities, all articles, published from the beginning of 2005 to March 2006 and searched by MEDLINE, on this topic were reviewed.

On pharmacological treatment of epilepsy in people with intellectual disabilities, there were two articles on topiramate and one on levetiracetam. Two studies described the effect of surgical interventions, one of epilepsy surgery in the narrow sense and one of vagus nerve stimulation. Two papers were published on clinical conditions and therapeutic aspects of Angelman syndrome. They highlight the importance of gamma-aminobutyric acidergic mechanism in Angelman syndrome and the antiepileptic drug effects in this syndrome.

A contradiction exists between the relevance of epilepsy treatment in people with intellectual disabilities and the small number of published studies on pharmacological treatment. Some of the reasons are addressed and some alternatives are proposed.