[Characteristics of the clinical features and pharmacological treatment of epileptics with frequent seizures].

The analysis of clinical features of groups of patients with frequent and rare epileptic seizures showed that the mean age of the first seizure, the mean age at the time of examination, and the mean duration of the disease were not significantly different in both studied groups. In the group with frequent seizures a significantly more frequent presence of features indicating serious organic brain damage was found (more frequent occurrence of known aetiological factors, more cases of posttraumatic epilepsy, psychic and neurological abnormalities). In group C changes in the background activity in EEG were also more frequent. The analysis of pharmacological treatment showed a more frequent application of polytherapy in group C. On the other hand, the mean levels of antiepileptic drugs in the serum and the mean doses of these drugs for kg of body mass were not significantly different in both groups. In about 40% of patients in both groups the prescribed drugs failed to reach the levels generally regarded as therapeutic (slightly more frequently in the group with rare seizures). This was true mainly of PHT since about 81% of patients in both groups failed to reach the therapeutic level of the drug (10 ug/ml). The likely causes of this fact were: too low doses prescribed (55% of the patients were given doses below the generally recommended), lower bioavailability of PHT (27% of patients had no therapeutic level of the drug in the serum, despite doses exceeding 5 mg/kg); or drug interaction. This requires elucidation in further studies.