The interest in the potential therapeutic use of cannabis, especially cannabidiol (CBD), has increased significantly in recent years. On the Internet, users can find lots of articles devoted to its ...medical features such as reducing seizure activity in epilepsy. The aim of our work was to evaluate the information contained on the websites, including social media, in terms of the credibility and the reliability of current knowledge about the usage of products containing cannabidiol in epilepsy treatment. We used online available links found using the Newspointtool. The initial database included 38,367 texts, but after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 314 texts were taken into consideration. Analysis was performed using the DISCERN scale and the set of questions created by the authors. In the final assessment, we observed that most of the texts (58.9%) were characterized by a very poor level of reliability and the average DISCERN score was 26.97 points. Additionally, considering the form of the text, the highest average score (35.73) came from entries on blog portals, whereas the lowest average score (18.33) came from comments and online discussion forums. Moreover, most of the texts do not contain key information regarding the indications, safety, desired effects, and side effects of CBD therapy. The study highlights the need for healthcare professionals to guide patients towards reliable sources of information and cautions against the use of unverified online materials, especially as the only FDA-approved CBD medication, Epidiolex, differs significantly from over-the-counter CBD products.
•Future physicians should have sufficient knowledge and awareness of the psychosocial aspects of epilepsy.•Nearly two hundred medical students from two universities in Poland filled a questionnaire ...about epilepsy and stigma.•Year of study correlates well with level of knowledge and awareness of stereotypes.•Students also completed short personality tests - personality did not have a strong impact on the results.•More emphasis should be put on basic information such as first aid during seizure.
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. As a chronic disease, associated with long-term treatment with antiseizure medication, it can have a negative impact on patients’ quality of life. Moreover, patients are faced with a significant psychosocial burden associated with the stigma surrounding epilepsy. Medical professionals should be well educated and free of prejudices in order to provide adequate care for patients with epilepsy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of epilepsy among medical students of years 1–6 in Poland and examine if certain personality traits influence students’ view of epilepsy.
The study was conducted using snowball sampling of 166 Polish medical students from Medical University of Gdansk and Medical University of Warsaw. Participants completed a survey which consisted of their subjective assessment of knowledge of epileptology, actual knowledge of epileptology, and their view of stereotypes about epilepsy. In addition, students completed the IPIP-BFM-20 personality questionnaire.
Polish medical students have sufficient basic knowledge about epilepsy (mean scores of students from both universities is 14 out of 25 points). There is still room for improvement, especially in the field of epidemiology, semiology, factors provoking seizures, antiseizure medications, and most importantly about first aid during seizure (e.g., 7% of respondents believed it is necessary to put something between teeth of a patient during seizure). Age and the year of study were well correlated with knowledge score (p = 0.008) and level of awareness of the stereotypes. We found that most personality traits do not have a strong impact on the level of knowledge about epilepsy.
Most students have a satisfying level of knowledge about epilepsy. Academic teachers should put more emphasis on first aid during seizures and awareness of psychosocial challenges associated with the disease. It is crucial for future physicians to not only possess sufficient theoretical knowledge, but also establish an empathetic doctor–patient relationship in order to provide better care for patients with epilepsy and other chronic diseases.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Hypoglycemic encephalopathy (HE) is a type of encephalopathy resulting from extremely low blood glucose level. Symptoms are not specific and can be misdiagnosed very often. It can occur during deep ...and/or prolonged hypoglycemia, which may be a result of inadequately controlled diabetes.
Here, we report a case of an 11-year old male patient diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus treated with the use of insulin pump who was admitted to the Pediatric Neurology Department because of multiple incidents of seizures. Boy was found unconscious by his mother. The blood glucose level on the glucometer was 35 mg/dl. It turned out that the reason of hypoglycemia was inadequate insulin dosing. He was given intravenous glucose by the ambulance service without improvement in the state of consciousness. Brain MRI revealed in both cerebral hemispheres, symmetrically, elevated white matter signal, mainly in the subcortex and cortex of the frontal and occipital and parietal lobes with features of diffusion restriction. EEG revealed generalized slow brain activity, without obvious epileptiform. Boy was provided with a variety of antiepileptic drugs. Unfortunately, none of them yielded with satisfactory results so far and the patient is still suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy.
In conclusion, glucose is one of the key metabolic agents for the proper brain function and any imbalances in its blood level may impair the neuronal computation. Thus, it is extremely important, especially among diabetic patients, to control glucose blood level and avoid any disturbances, as they may lead to severe consequences, such as HE and drug-resistant epilepsy.
•The majority of patients had a stable course of the disease during the pandemic.•Pandemic had an influence on children’s behavior and sleep patterns.•Telemedicine seems to be an effective tool for ...supervising children with epilepsy.•Patients should be informed about possible options in case of emergency.
In 2020, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared as a global pandemic. Self-reported stress, anxiety, and insomnia, which are believed to be common triggers for epilepsy, are more likely to occur. We aimed to establish the influence of COVID-19 pandemic itself on changes in the daily life routine related to pandemic on epilepsy course in pediatric patients. The unique form of clinical care which is telemedicine was also taken into consideration. We wanted to evaluate patients' satisfaction with telemedicine and if changing stationary visits into telemedicine influenced epilepsy course in our patients.
Patients, who attended developmental neurology outpatient clinic in the period March–December 2020 were collected. As patients were minors, legal guardians were asked to fill out the questionnaire. Patients were divided according to the outcome into three groups: those with a worsened, stable, or improved course of epilepsy during the pandemic. Appropriate statistical tests for two-group and multi-group comparisons have been implemented. Post hoc p values were also calculated.
Four hundred and two questionnaires were collected. Most of the patients had a stable course of epilepsy during the pandemic; in 13% of participants an improvement has been observed, worsening of the disease was seen in 16% of patients. Age, sex, type of epilepsy, number of seizure incidents before pandemic, and duration of the disease had no statistically significant connection with changes in the course of the disease. Behavioral changes and altered sleep patterns were found to be more common in the worsened group.
Fifty-eight percent of patients were satisfied with telemedicine. Poorer satisfaction was connected with less frequent visits, cancellation of scheduled appointments, and lack of help in case of need in an emergency situation.
Epilepsy course in pediatric patients seems to be stable during COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep disturbances and changes in a child’s behavior may be related to increase in seizure frequency. Telemedicine is an effective tool for supervising children with epilepsy. Patients should be informed about possible ways of getting help in urgent cases.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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