Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2025

Electrophoretic Delivery of γ-aminobutyric Acid GABA into Epileptic Focus Prevents Seizures in Mice
Published on: May 16, 2019
Risk factors for drug-resistant epilepsy in adult patients
Ignacio Lagger1, Eliana Garino2, Oscar Martinez3
1Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (BIOMED), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Neurología, Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Teodoro Álvarez, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Introduction:
Drug-resistant epilepsy occurs in about 30% of epilepsy patients. It has been suggested that etiology or seizure type would increase the risk of pharmacoresistance. This study aims to compare the characteristics of patients with drug-sensitive epilepsy with patients with drug-resistant epilepsy to identify risk factors.
Patient And Methods:
A multicentric cohort study was conducted between 2019 and 2022. We included patients >18 years-old with epilepsy but excluded psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and less than 2 years of follow-up.
Results:
We included 128 patients, of whom 46 had drug-resistance epilepsy, and 82 responding to medication. Both groups showed similar characteristics. Febrile seizures (OR: 7.25), focal epilepsy (OR: 2.4), focal seizures with loss of consciousness (OR: 2.36), structural etiology (OR: 2.2) and abnormal MRI (OR: 4.6) were significant risk factors for drug-resistance epilepsy.
Conclusion:
Following other studies, we observed that factors such as epilepsy type, seizure type, structural etiology, abnormal MRI, and febrile seizure increased the risk for drug-resistance epilepsy, in our population.
Related Concept Videos
Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Modulators of Neurotransmitter Release Mediated by SV2A Protein
SV2A is a transmembrane glycoprotein located predominantly in the brain, modulating the release of neurotransmitters for neuronal communication. Both levetiracetam and brivaracetam exhibit a high affinity for...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators
Ezogabine has gained approval as an adjunctive treatment...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists
Factors Affecting Drug Response: Overview
Antiepileptic Drugs: GABAergic Pathway Potentiators
The key GABA pathway potentiators used in epilepsy management are as follows.
Benzodiazepines are a well-known class of drugs used for...

