Standard medical care for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in Brazil

Author(s)

Valente, Kette D. ^{[1, 2]} ; Rzezak, Patricia ^{[1, 2]} ; LaFrance, Jr., W. Curt ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Lab Neuroimaging Neurosci LIM 21, BR-01060970 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Psychiat, Clin Neurophysiol Lab, BR-01060970 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Brown Univ, Rhode Isl Hosp, Neuropsychiat & Behav Neurol, Providence, RI 02903 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Epilepsy & Behavior; v. 45, p. 128-135, APR 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 6

Abstract

Knowledge about health systems can promote implementation of more specific and strategic health practices for patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). For this purpose, we surveyed the current management of PNES (standard medical care {[}SMC]) by Brazilian League Against Epilepsy members. Respondents reported diagnosing PNES with a mean frequency of 3 patients/month. Video-EEG (vEEG) was considered the best method for the diagnosis. Respondents who have vEEG in their facilities refer to vEEG significantly more often than those who have no vEEG (p < 0.001). Therefore, South and Southeast Brazil regions referred patients more frequently to vEEG than other regions (p = 0.004). Psychotherapy was considered the most effective (92.2%) treatment option, followed by education (75%) and psychopharmacology (70.3%). There were no regional differences considering treatment. The study identified current national diagnostic and treatment practices across the country and identified relevant Brazilian regional differences. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 05/56464-9 - Neuroscience Imaging Center at University of São Paulo Medical School
• Grantee: Giovanni Guido Cerri
• Support Opportunities: Inter-institutional Cooperation in Support of Brain Research (CINAPCE) - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 07/52110-3 - Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: evaluation of attentional and executive functions, personality traits and social adaptation
• Grantee: Sylvie Carolina Paes Moschetta
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 12/09025-3 - Executive and memory functions of patients with mesial temporal sclerosis: association between neuropsychological evaluation and new neuroimage techniques
• Grantee: Geraldo Busatto Filho
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/13065-0 - The use of neurobiological signatures for the determination of elderly subject to Alzheimer’s disease
• Grantee: Patricia Rzezak Tencer
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 13/11361-4 - Association study of polymorphisms in serotoninergic pathway and temporal lobe epilepsy caused by hippocampal sclerosis
• Grantee: Kette Dualibi Ramos Valente
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants