Seizures and multiple sclerosis‑more than an epidemiological association (Review)

Abstract

In order to increase the quality of life of patients with epilepsy, it is essential to develop tools that facilitate early disease diagnosis and encourage the use of individualized therapies. The association between seizures and other neurological pathologies is well known but incompletely explained, with multiple sclerosis (MS)-seizures correlation being a relevant example. In this context, the present review aimed to highlight the most important facts related to the association between the heterogeneous group of epileptic pathology and MS, in order to provide initial directions for establishing a diagnostic and therapeutic protocol. The first part reviewed the most relevant epidemiological and clinical data on seizures; MS association. Subsequently, it highlighted the most common and actually accepted pathophysiological mechanisms that try to explain the association between the two pathologies. Finally, the importance of paraclinical investigations and the optimal choice of antiseizure-based therapies with respect to seizures associated with MS are presented, also revealing several directions that should be explored in the near future. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Methodology and method 3. Epidemiological data revealing a significant association between MS and seizures 4. Relevant aspects of seizures in patients with MS 5. Pathophysiological mechanisms (incompletely) explaining the MS-epilepsy association 6. The role of imagistic techniques in studying the MS-epilepsy association 7. Neurophysiology in patients with MS with epilepsy-in search of specific patterns 8. Individualized ASMs treatment and prognosis in patients with MS with epilepsy 9. Conclusions