Initial symptoms, precipitant factors, and techniques to control epileptic seizures: The carer’s perspective

Subjective experiences of seizures and events that occur prior to seizures may be useful in assisting health professionals to devise treatment plans tailored to the individual. The aim of this study was to investigate carers’ knowledge of their patients’ preseizure activity. Of 240 questionnaires mailed out to registrants on an epilepsy research database, 78 were anonymously returned (32.5%). Participants were aged between 18 and 89, with a mean age of 50.94 years (SD = 17.23), and 82.1% were female. Of 78 participants, 74.4% reported that their patients experienced at least one symptom prior to a seizure, 88.5% reported that their patients experienced at least one seizure as a result of a specific event, and 56.4% reported that their patients had tried at least one technique to stop a seizure. The rates reported are comparable to those reported in other studies measuring responses from people with epilepsy.