LLUH Holds Symposium on Epilepsy

LOMA LINDA>> Loma Linda University’s Drayson Center was the recent venue for a symposium on epilepsy. Co-sponsored by the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation of America, the symposium was well attended by members of the local community who wanted to learn more about the disease. Warren Boling, MD, professor and chair of the department of Neurosurgery at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, was one of several guest speakers at the event. Several workshops were offered during this mini-conference held in the Facility’s Collins Auditorium. Topics included: The Importance of Pursuing Seizure Freedom and Preventing Injury and Early Death including SUDEP; Diagnosing the Epilepsies and How it Influences Treatment Choices; Treatment Options - Current and In The Pipeline (including Dietary Therapy), Wellness + Lifestyle Matter- Nutrition, Exercise, Hobbies and more, Surgical options, Self-Advocacy/Patient Advocacy: and, Topics of Particular Concern to Women. Travis Losey, MD, Medical Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center; Neurophysiologist Philip Tseng, MD; Child Neurologist Joshua Loeb, MD; and Neuropsychologist Travis Fogel, MD, participated in a panel discussion and answered epilepsy-related questions from the audience. Each physician serves on the medical staff of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Loma Linda University; the center is comprised of a compassionate and experienced team of health care professionals dedicated to providing exemplary whole person care to people with epilepsy. A recap of the morning sessions was provided in Spanish for Spanish-speakers in the audience. Loma Linda University’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is the leading center for epilepsy care in Southeastern California and is the only in the Inland Empire with the highest level designation from the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Treatment plans are tailored to the needs of individual patients and may include expert medication management, surgical therapy and collaboration with behavioral health professionals. It is estimated that the average incidence of epilepsy each year in the U. S is estimated at 150,000 or 48 for every 100,000 people. The incidence of epilepsy looks at the number of new cases of epilepsy in a given year or period of time. It’s often given in a ratio such as ‘x’ out of 1,000 persons develop epilepsy each year. The prevalence of epilepsy looks at the number of people with epilepsy at any given point in time. This includes people with new onset epilepsy as well as those who have had epilepsy for a number of years. The estimate currently thought to be most accurate is 2.2 million people or 7.1 for every 1,000 people Epilepsy is the 4th most common neurological problem – only migraine, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease occurs more frequently. The Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation of America was established in 1957. Their fundraising and community efforts support care, advocacy and education of epilepsy patients and their families.