Dogs could be helpful in managing epilepsy, scientists say

Researchers found that people with epilepsy had, on average, 31% fewer seizures when they started sharing their lives with a seizure dog. Photo: 123rf.com

Epilepsy is a common neurological disease affecting 50 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It is associated with seizures and convulsions, which can be extremely debilitating for sufferers.

A Dutch study, published in the journal Neurology, demonstrates how dogs may be able to help reduce these seizures.

Researchers from Rotterdam’s Erasmus University in the Netherlands have turned their attention to the medical virtues of dogs in the management of epileptic seizures. Indeed, this neurological disease still holds many mysteries for scientists.

Although epilepsy has been recognised since ancient times, treatment options remain unsatisfactory for a large number of patients.

“Despite the development of numerous anti-seizure medications over the past 15 years, up to 30% of people with epilepsy experience persistent seizures,” says study author, Valerie van Hezik-Wester of Erasmus University, quoted in a news release.

Predicting epileptic seizures is a crucial matter for the scientific community. And it turns out that dogs can be trained to recognise and respond to these episodes.

“Seizure dogs are trained to recognise seizures and respond when they occur. The tasks that these dogs perform, along with their companionship, may reduce seizure-related anxiety, also potentially reducing seizures caused by stress, the most common trigger for seizures,” explains van Hezik-Wester.Reduced seizures

As part of their research, the scientists monitored some 20 people suffering from epilepsy over a three-year period. These people had a poor response to anticonvulsant treatment and a high risk of seizure-related injury. The scientists observed them in their daily lives before randomly assigning them a seizure dog.

In addition, study participants were asked to record the frequency and type of epileptic seizures they suffered in a diary, and to fill out a follow-up questionnaire every three months. They were asked to evaluate factors such as the severity of their seizures, their quality of life and their general well-being.

The research team found that people with epilepsy had, on average, 31% fewer seizures when they started sharing their lives with a seizure dog. Seven participants even found that their seizures halved or disappeared altogether. At the start of the study, the volunteers had 115 seizures over a 28-day period. This figure dropped to 73 with the help of the dogs.

For van Hezik-Wester, these encouraging results show that “seizure dogs can help people with epilepsy”. Nevertheless, they cannot be hailed as a miracle solution. Indeed, some patients discontinued their participation in the study after the researchers assigned them a seizure dog. More research is therefore needed to better understand how these four- legged friends can help the medical community in managing epilepsy. – AFP Relaxnews