Adult epilepsy generates a burden that extends beyond seizure counts and includes adverse treatment effects, role restriction, emotional distress, and the social devaluation attached to the diagnosis. The methodological problem is not the absence of patient-reported measures, but the heterogeneity with which disease-specific quality-of-life and stigma instruments are selected, interpreted, and combined in adult studies.
Peripheral biomarkers have numerous uses in the treatment, prognosis, and pharmacovigilance of epilepsy. Unfortunately, no peripheral biomarker has demonstrated proven efficacy, although several options are being investigated. In this article, we want to analyze the main areas in which peripheral biomarkers can present their usefulness, including participation in the processes of inflammation, dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier, changes in metabolism, hormones, and growth factors.
In attempt to find an answer regarding the possible scenarios of epilepsy evolution in women of reproductive age (e.g. worsening, remission, antiepileptic drug resistance, status epilepticus occurence), preferably - objective, based on simple, replicable, observable indicators that can be included in a mathematical probability estimation model, could significantly improve their quality of life and increase the effectiveness of prescribed treatments.