JAMA Study Finds Existing Blood Pressure Drugs May Prevent Epilepsy
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Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues have discovered that a class of drugs already on the market to lower blood pressure appears to reduce adults’ risk of developing epilepsy.
The study, published in JAMA Neurology, suggested that the drugs, called angiotensin receptor blockers, could prevent epilepsy in people at highest risk of the disease, including older adults who have had strokes.
Epilepsy, often diagnosed in childhood, also affects over 1% of people over 65, with seizures disrupting brain function and causing various symptoms. In older adults, stroke is the leading risk factor for epilepsy, with 10% of stroke survivors experiencing seizures within five years. Vascular disease and chronic high blood pressure further increase the risk.
While anti-seizure medications control epilepsy after diagnosis, no drugs currently prevent it in high-risk individuals. Recent studies, however, suggest that certain blood pressure medications might help prevent seizures by reducing inflammation, particularly in cases following stroke or traumatic brain injuries, which can trigger epilepsy.
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