Welcome to the first installment of Epilepsy News from The Epilepsy Reach Foundation! Here you can find all the top stories regarding epilepsy developments, research, advocacy, and more from the past month.
This month, in epilepsy news:
QB Justin Fields opens up about epilepsy diagnosis after NFL draft
Justin Fields, the former quarterback for Ohio State, was drafted to The Chicago Bears. Ahead of the draft, Fields revealed that he manages epilepsy with daily medication. Since the draft and his announcement, he has opened up further about his diagnosis. Many have come to regard Fields as an “agent of change” for the disease.
Matt Tifft back in the driver's seat after six months of no seizures
Matt Tifft, who was rookie during the 2019 NASCAR season, finally got back in the driver’s seat after his epilepsy diagnosis in October 2019. Tifft suffered from seven seizures that took him out of the running of Rookie of the Year back in 2019 and prevented him from racing at all in 2020. After finally being seizure-free for six months, Tifft got back on the track this past month.
University of Virginia School of Medicine researches cause of SUDEP
New research conducted by the University of Virginia School of Medicine has potentially found a reason why sleep could cause sudden death in those with epilepsy. With the mechanism of SUDEP, or sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, is still unknown, UVA researchers have been looking at the correlation between heartrates following seizures in both patients who are awake and asleep at the time of their seizures. Those who were asleep during a seizure had significantly lower heartrates.
11-year-old boy remains seizure free after undergoing rare surgery
Zach Kurek, an 11-year-old boy with severe epilepsy, underwent a rare surgery to disconnect the two sides of his brain. His seizures were so severe that they would be triggered by things as simple as a dog barking or a gust of wind. Medication could not control his seizures and they were beginning to hinder his development. Kurek’s severe seizures were caused by a stroke he suffered at birth. After this rare surgery, Kurek hasn’t suffered a single seizure!
CBD promises treatment to adults with treatment-resistant epilepsy
More research is being done on how CBD could improve the life of adult epilepsy patients. Most of the focus surrounding CBD’s ability to reduce seizures and other symptoms of epilepsy has been in children with treatment-resistant epilepsy. However, new studies show that CBD could have just as positive effects on treatment-resistant epilepsy in adult patients, as well.
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