Anti-epileptic drug utilisation in paediatrics: a systematic review

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Oluwaseun Egunsola1, Imti Choonara1, Helen M Sammons1,2

  • 1Division of Medical Sciences and Graduate Entry Medicine, University of Nottingham, Derbyshire Children's Hospital, Derby, UK.

BMJ Paediatrics Open
|April 12, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Global anti-epileptic drug (AED) use shows variation, with a growing trend towards newer medications like levetiracetam. Older drugs remain common, highlighting the need for current pediatric data.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Neurology
  • Global Health

Background:

  • Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are crucial for managing epilepsy.
  • Understanding global AED utilization patterns is essential for public health initiatives.
  • Paediatric epilepsy management requires specific consideration of drug safety and efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the global prevalence of anti-epileptic drug (AED) utilization.
  • To describe trends in AED utilization across different countries.
  • To analyze the use of older versus newer generation AEDs in paediatric populations.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of Embase, Medline, and PubMed databases (up to May 2017).
  • Inclusion of original research on AED utilization, focusing on paediatric national or regional database studies and surveys.
  • Analysis of 16 relevant studies with data collected from 2005 onwards.

Main Results:

  • Monotherapy regimens ranged from 58% to 94% across different countries.
  • Sodium valproate was frequently prescribed in several studies.
  • A trend towards increased utilization of newer AEDs, such as levetiracetam, was observed in some regions.

Conclusions:

  • Monotherapy is widely used, accounting for 58%-94% of patient cases.
  • Newer generation AEDs, including lamotrigine, levetiracetam, and topiramate, show increasing utilization.
  • Despite the rise of new AEDs, older generation drugs remain prevalent, necessitating updated studies on paediatric AED use.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrenepilepsypolytherapyprescription

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