Antiseizure medications for post-stroke epilepsy: A real-world prospective cohort study

Abstract

Background and purpose: The management of post-stroke epilepsy (PSE) should ideally include prevention of both seizure and adverse effects; however, an optimal antiseizure medications (ASM) regimen has yet been established. The purpose of this study is to assess seizure recurrence, retention, and tolerability of older-generation and newer-generation ASM for PSE. Methods: This prospective multicenter cohort study (PROgnosis of Post-Stroke Epilepsy [PROPOSE] study) was conducted from November 2014 to September 2019 at eight hospitals. A total of 372 patients admitted and treated with ASM at discharge were recruited. Due to the non-interventional nature of the study, ASM regimen was not adjusted and followed standard hospital practices. The primary outcome was seizure recurrence in patients receiving older-generation and newer-generation ASM. The secondary outcomes were the retention and tolerability of ASM regimens. Results: Of the 372 PSE patients with ASM at discharge (median [IQR] age, 73 [64–81] years; 139 women [37.4%]), 36 were treated with older-generation, 286 with newer-generation, and 50 with mixed-generation ASM. In older- and newer-generation ASM groups (n = 322), 98 patients (30.4%) had recurrent seizures and 91 patients (28.3%) switched ASM regimen during the follow-up (371 [347–420] days). Seizure recurrence was lower in newer-generation, compared with the older-generation, ASM (hazard ratio [HR], 0.42, 95%CI 0.27–0.70; p =.0013). ASM regimen withdrawal and change of dosages were lower in newer-generation ASM (HR, 0.34, 95% CI 0.21–0.56, p