Researchers at Lund University in Sweden found higher levels of immune proteins in the blood before and after an epileptic seizure. According to the authors, they could be used as possible epilepsy biomarkers in a blood test. The results of the work of scientists have been published. magazine helio
The main method of diagnosing the disease is an EEG, but sometimes it may not show abnormal brain activity. Also, the transaction cannot be performed immediately after the attack. In addition, there is a possibility of confusing epilepsy with other pathologies, for example, with a psychogenic seizure. Therefore, it is important to develop more effective diagnostic methods.
56 patients with epilepsy and psychogenic seizures were included in the study. Blood samples were taken from the volunteers before and after the seizure. As it turned out, in people with epilepsy after the seizure, the level of five immune proteins increased sharply, and one of them rose before the seizure. However, there was no change in biomarkers in patients with psychogenic seizures.
According to the authors, this indicates that it is possible to create an analysis to diagnose epilepsy and predict seizures in the future. In the future, scientists will recruit several more patient groups to confirm the results.