Question
Patient Parent: Hello, Director Tian. My child has been diagnosed with infantile epilepsy, and we are very worried about her condition. We hope to find an ideal treatment plan. What are the commonly used treatment methods currently in clinical use? How do Western doctors calculate medication dosages? What are the treatment methods in traditional Chinese medicine? Is it feasible to combine Western and traditional Chinese medicine treatments? Is there an inevitable connection between infantile epilepsy and cerebral palsy? Does the treatment period affect the brain development of infants? Currently, the doctor’s assessment based on the brain CT scan results indicates that the child’s brain development is incomplete. With timely treatment and as time goes by, is there a chance for improvement in this situation? Moreover, which hospital currently has the best treatment outcomes in this area?
Answer
The current common treatment method is to control the condition through oral medications such as Depakene. The dosage of the medication is adjusted based on the control of the condition; if the current dosage does not completely control the condition, it needs to be gradually increased until there is no recurrence. Generally speaking, medication is continued for 2 to 4 years, and dosages are gradually reduced after one year without recurrence, depending on the situation. Therefore, medication dosages need to be adjusted in real-time according to the specific conditions of each patient. Traditional Chinese medicine comprehensive treatment mainly targets a series of cerebral palsy symptoms caused by infantile epilepsy. Since most children with this disease have cerebral organic damage and are accompanied by severe intellectual disabilities, treatment is difficult and prognosis is poor, making it easy to leave behind cerebral palsy symptoms (such as intellectual disabilities, motor impairments, …