Changes in Real-world Practice Patterns of Antiepileptic Drugs for Status Epilepticus: A Nationwide Observational Study in Japan.

We described the patient characteristics and practice pattern of antiepileptic drugs. The analysis conducted for this study examined 31,472 cases. As the second-line therapy, the use of i.v. levetiracetam increased rapidly from 2016; 35% of cases received i.v. levetiracetam in 2017. By contrast, the use of i.v. phenytoin/fosphenytoin decreased from 2016. In-hospital mortality decreased year-by-year. No year-by-year change was observed for deaths within 24 h, length of hospital stay, drug-induced hepatitis, or drug-induced eruption. Although the use of levetiracetam for treatment of SE is not compensated by public health insurance in Japan, i.v. levetiracetam use is increasing dramatically as the second-line SE therapy. We propose that health insurance coverage be extended to include i.v. levetiracetam treatment for SE. PMID: 32009125 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Neurologia Medico-Chirurgica - Category: Neurosurgery Tags: Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) Source Type: research