A blood pressure medication could help prevent post-stroke epilepsy (PSE), according to research presented at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) annual meeting held 6-10 December.
The research found that angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) medication was more effective in preventing PSE from developing than other blood pressure medications.
Stroke is a common cause of seizures in people aged 60 years and older. Previous research has found that high blood pressure (hypertension) is “a known risk factor” for developing PSE. As well as that, 6-8% of people who have ischemic stroke go on to develop PSE.
Dr Giacomo Evangelista, co-lead study author and neurology resident at G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara in Italy, presented his team’s research at the event.
He said: “Our study uniquely focused on how effective different blood pressure medications are at preventing PSE in the real world.”
The team investigated 528 people with high blood pressure who had also had a stroke but did not have epilepsy at that time of the stroke. Everyone was taking at least one blood pressure medication, with 194 people taking two or more.
From the 528 people, 38 developed PSE (7.2%), most of whom were taking only one blood pressure medication. Of 109 people who took ARBs, only three developed PSE.
The researchers said ARBs may reduce the risk of developing PSE, while calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors could increase the risk.
Dr Fedele Dono, neurologist at the Epilepsy Center, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara and co-lead study author, added: “These findings highlight the importance of personalised medicine, particularly in managing blood pressure in stroke patients.
“Further research in more patients is necessary to confirm these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms in more detail.”
The research has not yet been published.
