Current treatment of West syndrome in Japan.

Takeshi Tsuji, Akihisa Okumura, Hiroshi Ozawa, Masatoshi Ito, Kazuyoshi Watanabe

Journal: Journal of child neurology 2007;22(5):560-4

PMID: 17690062

Abstract

About 10 years have passed since a previous survey on the treatment of West syndrome in Japan. To elucidate current practice, a questionnaire was sent to 113 institutes. It included (1) the drugs used for the treatment, (2) their dosage, and (3) the dosage and the schedule of adrenocorticotropic hormone therapy. Response rate was 51.3%. Adrenocorticotropic hormone, valproic acid, vitamin B(6), and zonisamide were frequently used. Vitamin B(6) was used most frequently as the first-choice drug followed by valproic acid, zonisamide, and adrenocorticotropic hormone. The most frequently used dose of synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone-Z was 0.0125 mg/kg/d. Adrenocorticotropic hormone was administered every day for 2 weeks and then tapered off in more than 80% of the institutes. Although therapeutic strategy and drug usage have not changed largely during these 10 years, 2 alterations were observed: an increased use of zonisamide and a shortened duration of adrenocorticotropic hormone therapy.

Address: Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan. [email protected]

DOI: 10.1177/0883073807302606

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MeSH Terms: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Anticonvulsants, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Drug Administration Schedule, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Isoxazoles, Japan, Male, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Spasms, Infantile, Surveys and Questionnaires, Valproic Acid, Vitamin B 6, Zonisamide