Modern management of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a common genetic epilepsy syndrome usually presenting in adolescence and characterized by myoclonic jerks, predominately in the arms, associated with tonic-clonic seizures and less often generalized absences. Although the evidence base for treating JME is weak, most experts regard sodium valproate as drug of first choice. The recent diktat from the European regulatory agency - recommending that sodium valproate should not be prescribed to female children, adolescents or women of childbearing potential unless other treatments were ineffective or not tolerated - has substantially changed the way JME is being managed in this population. This paper reviews the literature underpinning the pharmacological treatment of JME. Data reporting associated symptoms of frontal lobe dysfunction in some patients with JME are discussed, as is the importance of counselling on lifestyle issues as an essential component of management. Long-term studies examining pharmacological and quality-of-life outcomes are reviewed, indicating a range of different phenotypes and likely genotypes underpinning this fascinating disorder. Lastly, a practical approach to managing JME in young men and women is summarized.