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摘要
The 63(rd) Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society was held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA on December 4-8, 2009. The meeting was attended by more than 4,000 delegates involved in both basic and clinical aspects of epilepsy across the globe. The topics of deliberation were divided into symposia, special lectures and poster presentations. Epilepsy is one of the world's oldest known neurological conditions and is associated with a high degree of social stigma and discrimination. According to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy. Unfortunately, patients suffering from epilepsy have a greater probability of developing other comorbid neurological complications, such as major depression, anxiety and dementia. Despite the availability of more than 25 antiepileptic drugs, approximately 30-40% of the epileptic population does not attain complete remission. Various novel drug targets and therapies have been identified to treat epilepsy. These new drugs are expected to have a better safety profile compared to currently available drugs. However, we still need to investigate many unanswered questions in epilepsy and emphasis should be placed on the development of target-specific novel drug therapies. Therefore, organizing such meetings and presenting new outcomes in the field of epilepsy may unlock new treatment options for these patients. The present review attempts to synthesize outcomes of the deliberations in the field of epilepsy that were discussed at the meeting.
- 出版日期2010-2
