Epilepsy in intellectual disability

by Professor Shoumitro Deb and Dr Radha Srikanth

Epilepsy in intellectual disability

In the general population, the risk of an individual developing epilepsy in his or her lifetime is between 3% and 5%.

 

Approximately 14%-24% of patients who have intellectual disability have epilepsy.

 

Epilepsy in persons with intellectual disability means more than having epileptic seizures as it also involves the issues of:

 

  • quality of life

 

  • carer involvement and attitudes

 

  • managing medications with associated adverse reactions

 

  • risk management with an aim to establishing a better quality of life for the person and her/his family carers.

 

This module aims to provide you with an understanding of the relationship between epilepsy and intellectual disability as well as how to assess and manage epilepsy in patients with intellectual disability.

 

Start the module

  

If you like this module, you may also be interested in:

 

The neuropsychiatry of epilepsy by Dr Niruj Agrawal and Dr Suren Govender

 

Sensory impairment and intellectual disability by Dr Reza Kiani and Dr Helen Miller

 

The assessment of traumatic brain injury by Dr Simon Fleminger and Dr Arsime Demjaha

 

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