According to information from a new study, it may be possible to lessen the number of seizures an epileptic has due to strokes by stopping and treating the conditions during the first few post-stroke days.

Earlier research has suggested that brain damage is caused by strokes and that it is also the biggest cause of new seizures in older people. However, a newer study that is published in the journal Cerebrovascular Diseases is showing that it’s possible to lessen early seizure and post-stroke epilepsy by preventing and treating the problems that come up in the first few days after a stroke. For the study, researchers from Brescia, Italy analyzed information that was collected from 516 patients who were hospitalized after having a stroke. Of those people, 436 had an ischaemic stroke.

What the researchers found was that nearly 4 percent of the patients suffered from early seizures and that strokes happened more in patients that had complications. In fact, the more complications the patient had, the higher their chances were of having seizures. The authors did state that the predictors of seizures after patients suffered from a stroke were non-modifiable, and that included how severe the stroke was and the subtype of the stroke.

“Preventable and treatable medical and neurologic complications within the first week of stroke increase the risk of epilepsy seizure and mediate the effect of established predictors on the propensity to post-stroke epilepsy,” the authors also said. “Future epidemiologic studies aimed at investigating post-stroke seizures should include precise information on these complications.”

Seizures are generally treated with anti-seizure medications like Topamax. Topamax has been linked to an increased risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts, as well as birth defects in women whose babies are exposed to the drug in-utero. Some of those birth defects linked to Topamax use during pregnancy include cleft lips, cleft palates, genital defects and other birth malformations.

If your baby was born with birth defects after in-utero exposure to Topamax, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injuries.