IEC 2021 | Starting treatment in patients with a diagnosis of seizure disorder associated with MS

Anca Arbune, MD, PhD, Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania, discusses the onset of epilepsy following a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, particularly in young patients. There is still much that is unknown about the association between MS and epilepsy, as it is unclear whether a seizure experienced by an MS patient is an MS flare-up or if it is not associated with MS at all. There are several points to consider regarding the association between MS and epilepsy, such as whether a patient has undergone disease modifying treatments (DMTs) for MS and the co-morbidities of the patient. This is because DMTs or drugs for any other conditions may interact with specific anti-epileptic drugs. Another subject that hasn’t been fully explored is whether DMTs have an impact on acute seizures. This should be taken into consideration, as DMTs require a longer time to take effect, which might improve epileptic diagnosis. This interview took place during the 34th International Epilepsy Congress, 2021.