The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) has updated the way it classifies epileptic seizures in a new paper published in the journal Epilepsia.
The new classifications include four classes and 21 different seizure types. This will help clinicians better understand the type of seizure a person is having and what treatment might be the most appropriate.
However, Epilepsy Action says people can still use the language they’re most comfortable with, even though they may hear doctors and nurses using these updated terms.
The updated classification puts seizures into one of four groups: focal, generalised, unknown (whether it’s focal or generalised) and unclassified.
Seizures in the focal or unknown groups are then also classified by whether the person loses consciousness (impaired) or doesn’t (preserved) during the seizure.
Focal seizures start in one part of the brain, and generalised seizures start in multiple parts of the brain. Focal seizures may begin in one part and then start to spread as the seizure continues, but these are still classified as focal seizures.
The generalised seizure group will include absence seizures, generalised tonic-clonic seizures and other generalised seizures, which will now include negative myoclonus as seizures. Negative myoclonus is where the muscles stop tensing for a brief moment, and the person briefly loses muscular tone.
Seizures can then be further classified using visible signs and movements.
Tom Shillito, health improvement and research manager at Epilepsy Action said: “Everyone’s epilepsy is so different and it can be challenging for medical professionals to describe different seizure types in a way that’s understandable. We welcome the new seizure classifications from the ILAE – we believe they’re now easier to understand and are more in line with how people with epilepsy and their healthcare professionals tend to describe the more observable signs about their seizures.
“However, this won’t change the way people describe different seizure types more broadly, such as tonic-clonic, absence or myoclonic seizures. While they will help clinicians to explain a patient’s condition more clearly, people with epilepsy should still be able to use the language they prefer and that this should be honoured by their doctor.”
Study authors Sandor Beniczky and colleagues concluded that the updates to seizure classification have been made to “establish a common language for all healthcare professionals involved in epilepsy care, from resource-limited areas to highly specialised centres, and to provide accessible terms for patients and caregivers.”
The update work was done by a working group comprising 37 members from all ILAE regions, and additional experts. The full article is available online on the Epilepsia website.
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