Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that affect patients' cognitive function and their mental health, imposing a huge burden on families and society. There are approximately 50 million epilepsy patients worldwide, with a prevalence rate of 4‰~7‰ in China, including about 6 million active epilepsy patients. Although scientists have been devoted to the research and exploration of epilepsy, the causes and pathological mechanisms of epilepsy are still poorly understood. The effectiveness of anti-seizure drugs is limited, and more effective methods is needed. With the deepening of microbiological research, many studies have found significant differences in the composition of the intestinal microbiota of epilepsy patients compared to healthy individuals. Analysis of the intestinal microbiota of epilepsy patients through sequencing has shown significantly lower abundances of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes compared to the normal population. Many related clinical studies have found that adopting a ketogenic diet, taking probiotics orally, using antibiotics, or fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can effectively control epilepsy by normalizing the intestinal microbiota. Various studies suggest a possible connection between the intestinal microbiota and epilepsy, recognizing that the intestinal microbiota can have an impact on the central nervous system. As a result, gut-brain axisis gradually recognized by scientists. Therefore, the role of the intestinal microbiota in epilepsy is gradually being recognized, and recent clinical studies have confirmed that supplementing probiotics can effectively reduce seizure frequency and improve comorbidities, which may become a new method for treating epilepsy.
Objective This study aimed to provide data about the clinical features of first seizure in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to improve the strategies for epilepsy prevention and control in this region. Methods We reviewed the clinical record of patients with first seizure in Neurology Department, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture People’s Hospital between January 2015 and October 2017 and summarised their clinical features. Results One hundred and one patients were included in this study with the average age of (43.0±18.4) years. Twenty-nine cases were diagnosed as statusepilepticus, 5 (17.2%) of whom died in 30 days. Among the 45 patients diagnosed with acute symptomatic seizure, 22 cases (48.9%) were caused by cerebral infection, including neurocysticercosis (n=4, 8.9%), tuberculous infection (n=8, 17.7%) and viral infection (n=7, 15.6%). Other causes of acute symptomatic seizure included cerebrovascular diseases (n=13, 28.8%), high altitude (n=3, 6.7%) and alcohol related or alcohol withdrawl (n=3, 6.7%). Conclutions These data suggest that the control of cerebral infections is essential for the prevention and treatment of seizures in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Education of local primary doctors about status epilepticus will enable better management of seizures in this population.