In a survey study of patients with either Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome (DS), findings showed that treatment with add-on cannabidiol (CBD; Epidiolex) led to improvements in nonseizure outcomes, regardless of reduction in seizure frequency. Despite the limitations associated with a retrospective survey-based study design, investigators concluded that further evaluation of CBD on nonseizure outcomes in these patient populations is warranted.
Published in Epilepsy Research, the study comprised of caregivers of 498 patients with LGS (80%) or DS (20%) on CBD therapy who completed BECOME, a 20-minute, cross-sectional, online survey. On nonseizure domains of alertness, cognition, and executive function, 85% of respondents reported improvements in at least 1 survey question. This continued across several other nonseizure-related domains of emotional functioning (82%), language and communication (79% in nonverbal patients and 74% in verbal), and activities of daily living (51%).
Led by senior investigator Scott M. Perry, MD, medical director of the Cook Children’s Hospital, study results showed that a net of 46% of respondents reported positive changes in physical functioning. Overall, 51% of caregivers (LGS: 52%; DS: 49%) documented improvement in at least 1 aspect of the patient’s sleep patterns, which included time to takes to fall asleep, nighttime awakening, and the frequency of nighttime restlessness. For the physical functioning, daily activities, and…
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