Epilepsy and other neurological disorders

Neurological disorders constitute the etiological factors of symptomatic epilepsies. However, in recent times, there are evidences that there is a mutual strong interaction between epilepsy and other diseases of the central nervous system and that in some cases these may be caused by a hidden etiologic factor that has been called “systemic dysfunction.” Furthermore, in all cases epilepsy and comorbid neurologic diseases influence each other through several mechanisms, including drug treatments. The consequence of this approach is that treatment strategy should consider, at the same time, all diseases that affect brain function. Epilepsy and cerebrovascular diseases are frequently associated, and the interaction between these diseases affect prognosis. Choice of treatments is of strategic importance. For example, there are antiepileptic drugs that may worsen vascular disease and negatively interact with drugs used for vascular disorder. This applies also to comorbidity with infectious diseases, brain tumors, and several neurodegenerative diseases.