#DareTo Ask and Connect: Spotlight on Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

Epilepsy News From: Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Community Corner: November 12, 2014

National Epilepsy Awareness Month is an opportune time to raise and help people understand the diversity of epilepsy. It’s a complicated disease that covers many different types of seizures and epilepsy syndromes. The Rare Epilepsy Network will help us understand more about epilepsy syndromes that can cause many problems in addition to seizures. One of these syndromes that affects children and adults is called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.

This syndrome, also called LGS, begins in childhood and persists throughout a person’s life. People with LGS usually have many different seizure types (such as absence, tonic, atonic, and tonic clonic). Falls and injuries unfortunately are common. People with LGS also develop problems with cognition, mood and behavior or how they think, feel and act. The areas of the brain involved with these important functions are affected by the underlying brain disturbance and frequent seizures. Often multiple medicines are needed to treat the seizures, and medicine side effects can be a problem too.  The good news is that we now have some medicines that have been approved specifically to treat LGS. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) Therapy® and dietary therapies may be helpful.  New avenues, such as cannabidiol, are being explored too for treatment of LGS.

Living with LGS can be overwhelming. Individuals and families need help and support on multiple levels.  The Epilepsy Foundation’s Ask the Expert Series will help you get answers to your questions and learn how to connect with resources and support for living with LGS.

Our Ask the Experts video series continues this month with #DareTo Ask: About Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. Experts Dr. Angel Hernandez of Cook Children’s Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas, and Dr. David Ficker of University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, will answer your questions and share resources for living with LGS.

Please send in your questions!

  • Write them in the comment section on the bottom of this page
  • Or email them to pshafer@efa.org.

In January, we’ll host #DareTo Connect:  Managing Life with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.

Please help us spread the word and provide help and hope for families living with LGS!

Best wishes for a safe week,

Patty Osborne Shafer RN, MN
Associate Editor/ Community Manager
Epilepsy.com

Authored by

Patty Obsorne Shafer RN, MN

Reviewed Date

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

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