BC Epilepsy News and Events

The Relationship Between Stroke and Epilepsy

Mon, 25 Feb 13 08:00:00 UT

It is sometimes said that anything that “hurts” the brain could cause a seizure. These seizures can recur and develop into epilepsy.

Two new studies show that there is a higher risk of developing epilepsy after a stroke. This was particularly high amongst those who had strokes due to intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding into the brain tissue) and children.

It has long been known that strokes can cause epilepsy, but now certain risk factors and the probability have been more clearly identified. As such these studies will help to determine the future prognosis for patients. Previously there has been limited research done on the incidence of epilepsy after a stroke.

Below is information about these studies:

Incidence and Associations of Post-Stroke Epilepsy: The Prospective South London Stroke Register
In this study 3373 people who had a stroke and no history of epilepsy were followed for approximately 4 to 12 years. 213 subjects (6.4%) developed epilepsy. However, this was not just recently after the stroke. The largest percentage (12.4%) developed epilepsy 5-10 years after they had their stroke.

The risk factors for developing epilepsy after a stroke included the severity, areas of the brain affected, and age (children had a much higher incidence of developing epilepsy after a stroke).

The researchers concluded that the development of epilepsy after a stroke is common, with the risk continuing to increase past the acute phase.

Read the study abstract here

Infant and Child Stroke Survivors Prone to Seizures and Epilepsy
In this study researchers found that one-third of American infants and children who suffer bleeding into brain tissue may later have seizures and as many as 13% will develop epilepsy within two years.

Researchers looked at 73 infants and children, ranging from newborns to 18 years old, who suffered bleeding into their brain tissue, a type of stroke called intracerebral hemorrhage.

They found that about 60% of the newborns and 43% of the older children had visible seizures at the time of the stroke or within one week after the stroke. Of the 32 patients who had continuous brain monitoring, 28% had seizures that would otherwise have gone undetected.

The lead study author stated, "Information on the risk for later seizures and epilepsy provides practitioners with concrete numbers that can be presented to families," "While an estimate of 13% may seem low at two years, the rate of epilepsy might be greater at later time points."

Read more here

CBC Radio Features Epilepsy on the BC Almanac Program

Mon, 25 Mar 13 07:00:00 UT

On March 25th the CBC radio program BC Almanac aired a 30 minute feature about epilepsy. This included an interview with Elvira Balakshin, Program and Communications Coordinator of BC Epilepsy Society and callers from throughout the province.

You can listen to it from the CBC BC Almanac webpage. This is the link to the recordings of their radio interviews: http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/bcalmanac.xml

The program title is called "Surrey's Recycling Electronics Facing 24 Charges/Epilepsy Awareness". The segment about epilepsy appears halfway through the recording.

Thank you for all the callers who shared their stories about epilepsy and how they cope with it. It was very engaging and fascinating.

Cindy's 5K Poker Walk

Sun, 26 May 13 07:00:00 UT

Cindy’s 5K Poker Walk is an annual fund raiser for the BC Epilepsy Society.

This years walk will be on Sunday, May 26th. The walk will start at 8:30 am at the Kerrisdale Arena at 41st and East Blvd. in Vancouver and goes through a beautiful historical area of Shaughnessy.

Cindy's Walk was started by the mother of two young children and board member of the BC Epilepsy Society. She was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 16 and grew up with the challenges of seizures. In 2007 she organized an informal walk of family and friends to help promote knowledge and understanding about epilepsy. Since then the walk has grown into an annual community event and is now held in conjunction with the Shaughnessy 8K Run.

This walk is unique and exciting because of the poker game that is integrated into it. During this walk, participants will collect a playing card at each of the one kilometre points. At the end of the walk, the people with the best poker hands will win prizes from various sponsors. Click here for more information about this event.

The registration fee is $24 for adults and $21 for those under 19 before May 19th. After May 19th the registration fee is $29 for adults and $26 for those under 19. Registration can be done in person at any Running Room store in the Lower Mainland or online at their event webpage here.

Participants and supporters are encouraged to collect pledges to help support the programs and resources of the BC Epilepsy Society. Prizes will be awarded to walkers who collect more than $250, $500, and $1,000 in donations. Click here for a pledge form.

You can walk as an individual, create a team, sponsor a walker, or pledge your support from anywhere in the world.

Please forward this information on to your contacts, post a link to this event on your Facebook page, or tweet about it. Help us make this year's event the biggest and best yet!

Click here to print or download a poster for the event.

This year the new Lieutenant Governor of BC Judith Guichon will be participating in the walk. We would be honoured to have your participation as well.

For more event information, please contact us at 604-875-6704 or at info@bcepilepsy.com

"My hope is that everyone will feel comfortable in the world to be able to share their challenges, fears, and worries with a supportive network and know that there is no judgment" - Cindy

Cindy's 5K Poker Walk is part of the annual Shaughnessy 8K Run and the 2013 Vancouver Sun Run series.

Research Partnership

Tue, 09 Apr 13 07:00:00 UT

An article and video recently produced by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) helps to demonstrate the value that the BC Epilepsy Society has had in partnering with them to fund research.

Epilepsy researcher Dr. Stuart Cain knows that in the pursuit of innovation, it can be easy to overlook the big picture.

"You can get caught up in just doing the research in a small room for long periods of time,” says the 2011 MSFHR Trainee. “You can quite easily work away without knowing any of the impact that your work has on patients.”

A strategic partnership between MSFHR and the BC Epilepsy Society has helped give Cain a vital connection to those directly impacted by his research. As the recipient of a post-doctoral fellowship jointly funded by the two organizations, Cain has been able to share his work beyond the research community and engage with the BC Epilepsy Society though a number of channels.

Over the course of his award term, Cain met with members of the BC Epilepsy Society in his lab, presented at the society’s annual general meeting, and contributed a newsletter article providing updates on his research.

Cain’s work focuses on proteins called calcium ion channels that are involved in nerve cell excitability — a trigger of epileptic seizures — and finding drugs that target those specific proteins. This research has the potential to improve treatment options for those suffering from epilepsy. The feedback Cain received from patients at the BC Epilepsy Society annual general meeting provided a level of insight not typically available in research circles.

“As a researcher, you’re kind of removed from that aspect. It gets you to appreciate a different aspect of how important your work is,” Cain says. “Ultimately, it’s there to help people.”

Recently, Cain was asked to join the BC Epilepsy Society’s professional advisory committee, which provides advice on medical and social services issues relevant to the society and its stakeholders. Shawn Laari, executive director of the BC Epilepsy Society, notes that Cain is the first researcher to serve on this panel.

Through its relationship with Cain, the BC Epilepsy Society has been able to demonstrate the value of its investment in research.

“We’re very proud when we have one of our funded researchers get published, and that shows to our stakeholders that we made a good investment, that it was money smartly spent in this partnership,” Laari says.

MSFHR and the BC Epilepsy Society have partnered since 2005 to fund four researchers working in areas directly relevant to the society’s mandate. Through this strategic partnership, the BC Epilepsy Society has become the only provincial or state epilepsy organization in North America that directly funds medical research.

“Having a partner like the Michael Smith Foundation, where we’re able to get an incredible peer-review process, the panel of experts they bring to the table, and the dollar-for-dollar matching really is just incredible for us to continue our commitment strategically towards research,” says Laari.

Scholarships for People with Epilepsy

Tue, 30 Apr 13 07:00:00 UT

Education is one of the most important paths to determine future achievement. This is why access to post-secondary education is essential, particularly when you live with the added challenges of epilepsy.

To support people with epilepsy in meeting their educational and career goals, the BC Epilepsy Society offers post-secondary scholarships.

These provide $1000 grants to eight individuals who currently attend or plan to attend a post-secondary institution or employment training program.

Individuals who are BC residents, ages 16 and older who are Canadian citizens or who have landed immigrant status, under a physicians' care for epilepsy, and have a current BC Epilepsy Society membership, are eligible.

The scholarships are awarded on the basis of educational commitment, volunteer work, and other achievements or interests. The grants can be applied to tuition, books, and/or related educational expenses.

The deadline to submit applications is June 28th, 2013. Download the scholarship application here.

For more information about the scholarships please contact our office at 604-875-6704 or at info@bcepilepsy.com

My Epilepsy Story

Wed, 01 May 13 07:00:00 UT

As part of a series on our blog we will be featuring stories from people about their experiences with epilepsy. Though epilepsy sometimes has unique challenges in the medical and day-to-day aspects of living with it, there are still many commonalities that happen to people who are affected.

Our first blog post features the story of a young women and her experiences with epilepsy. She titled it My Epilepsy Story. Click here to read it.

Generic Medication Changes

Thu, 09 May 13 07:00:00 UT

If you’ve gotten your prescription filled after April 1^st, you may notice that the size or colour of your pills have changed, or that there is a different brand name on them.

After April 1st many people in BC who take generic forms of medications will be switched over to a new generic brand. This is happening to people who take medications for epilepsy and many other medical conditions.

This is due to the provincial government trying to reduce the cost of generic medications in BC. To keep the costs as low as possible for consumers and for them (for PharmaCare reimbursements) they have changed many of the companies that they award contracts to produce and distribute generic medications. Mostly to those companies who sell the medications at the lowest cost.

The company that won the contract for many types of generic medications in BC (including many common medications used for epilepsy) is Apotex. This is why you may see the words APO in front of the medication name on your pill bottle.

For specific questions in regards to your medications please speak to your pharmacist. For more information about changes in the generic brands you can contact the College of Pharmacists in BC.

BC Epilepsy Society Recipient of BC Association of Broadcasters Humanitarian Award

Fri, 10 May 13 07:00:00 UT

We are proud to announce that the BC Epilepsy Society has been awarded the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters (BCAB) Humanitarian Award. This award offers significant television and radio airtime free of charge for a year.

They will be sponsoring our public service announcement about seizure first aid. It is called “You Can’t Swallow Your Tongue!” Click here to watch this.

For many people with epilepsy it is often frustrating to see a lack of exposure about it in the media. This award will help to increase this exposure and knowledge about seizure first aid and epilepsy.

We would like to thank the BCAB for their support for the BC Epilepsy Society.

Brain Implant May Predict Seizures

Wed, 15 May 13 07:00:00 UT

According to a new study, a device implanted in the brain to monitor electrical activity could predict when seizures are likely to happen.

Researchers studied 15 people with focal epilepsy who have between two and 12 seizures per month and have not had their seizures controlled by at least two different epilepsy medications.

They implanted these people with an experimental device with multiple components. Electrodes were placed between the skull and the brain to monitor the levels of electrical activity. Wires were connected to these electrodes and sent data about the electrical activity to a unit implanted under the skin of the chest. That unit wirelessly sent the data to a hand-held device. This device would flash a red light if there was a "high likelihood" of an impending seizure, a white light if there was a “moderate” likelihood and a blue light if there was a “low” likelihood.

For the first four months of the study, the device collected the data without flashing warnings. For 11 of the 15 people, the device correctly predicted a high risk of seizure at least 65% of the time. Those people went on to the next four month phase of the study, where the devices were activated to give warnings. Over those four months eight of those patients were signaled by the device of an impending seizure. The device correctly gave the high-risk warning between 56% to 100% of the time.

Commenting on the findings, Christian Elger and Florian Mormann, from the University of Bonn medical centre, described the results as "a major milestone... showing for the first time, to our knowledge that prospective seizure prediction is possible".

It has been suggested that scheduling of medication could be altered so that a person could take a dose or an extra dose when they are signaled that they are at a high risk of having a seizure. Or a person could avoid high-risk activities such as swimming on days in which they are at a high risk of having a seizure.

Even though this was a small sample size and the results were variable, experts said the results are promising, and should prompt further studies.

This study was funded by NeuroVista, the Seattle-based company developing the technology. Several of Cook's co-researchers work for the company.

Click here for more information about the study.