Marija Knezevic Pogancev
University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Title: Fear toward the antiepileptic drug withdrawal
Biography
Biography: Marija Knezevic Pogancev
Abstract
Epilepsy is not a lifelong condition in most patients. However, the decision to withdraw of antiepileptic drugs must be based on a balanced view of the overall risk of seizure relapse, the factors most likely to affect that risk, and the medical, emotional and social implications of antiepileptic drug treatment. It is important to admire patient’s (especially if adolescent) and parent’s fear towards the risk of antiepileptic drug withdrawal. The aim of study was to determine patient and family attitudes towards the fear of antiepileptic drug withdrawal, after 3 years seizure control, and to define the risk of seizure recurrence that adolescents and their parents would accept before discontinuing AED. This research was carried out in the Institute for Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina in Novi Sad. During the study, which lasted from 2003 to 2008, a face-to-face interview about fear of AET withdrawal was done during adolescent patient examination. Study population included 150 adolescent patients, without epileptic seizures, using one antiepileptic drug, and 265 of their parents. Accepted risk in general is higher in our adolescent patient’s group than in parent’s group (p<0,05). This risk over 50% seem excessive to all parents.