The authors wrote, “Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, affects several individuals globally and can contribute to a reduced quality of life and partial medication adherence, especially in patients with epilepsy. There is also a lack of awareness and understanding of dysphagia among both healthcare providers and patients.”
The objective of this review was to assess the relationship between dysphagia and epilepsy treatment, the potential for enhancing diagnosis and intervention, and to highlight the challenges faced by patients, especially with regard to adherence to medication and clinical outcomes.
The authors wrote, “Despite a high global prevalence, several patients do not seek care for their swallowing difficulties and are underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed.” The authors also noted that patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome often exhibit swift onset of swallowing complications.
Moreover, the authors indicated that managing dysphagia requires educating patients and caregivers on medication techniques and lifestyle changes and working with a multidisciplinary healthcare team. Screening and evaluation can be performed by utilizing technology, creating questionnaires, and asking in-depth questions. Since dysphagia can complicate swallowing certain antiseizure medications (ASMs), there is a need to implement tailored management strategies.
The authors also indicated that key points that clinicians should be aware of include early identification and proactive management of dysphagia, which can meaningfully enhance the quality of life and reduce and/or thwart complications such as malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and medication nonadherence. Patients with epilepsy and dysphagia may benefit from tailored medication management, including alternative formulations like liquids, granules, or powders to enhance adherence.
Clinicians should consider individual patient needs and limitations when prescribing ASMs, balancing the benefits and challenges of different formulations to suit the patient’s lifestyle. Effective management of dysphagia also requires interdisciplinary collaboration among healthcare providers and specialists to optimize oral diets and medication formulations for patients.
The authors wrote, “In addition to providing proactive education to susceptible populations (older adults, pediatric patients, patients with relevant comorbid disorders), early referrals to dysphagia experts such as SLPs can increase clinical diagnoses, improve therapeutic strategies, and maximize patient outcomes.”
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