Symposium on epilepsy and multiple sclerosis

Neurologists and other healthcare professionals attended 10th Qatar Epilepsy and Multiple Sclerosis Symposium to discuss the latest development on the management of these conditions with the aim of promoting excellence in neurology care and research in the country. “The symposium supports the ongoing development of regional knowledge and expertise in the neurological sciences, and promotes HMC’s agenda of providing patient care that is rooted in the most advanced research,” said Dr Boulenouar Mesraoua, symposium chairman and senior consultant Neurologist at HMC. Dr Dirk Deleu, head of HMC’s neurology department, said: “Epilepsy and multiple sclerosis are very prevalent medical conditions which need urgent attention. Multiple sclerosis is a disabling illness and treatment in the early stage is essential. Similarly, epilepsy is also a disabling condition which carries a potential risk of mortality as well as high morbidity.” Epilepsy is a non-communicable disorder of the nervous system that causes recurrent seizures. The condition affects about 65mn people worldwide and about 1% of Qatar’s population or 20,000 per 2mn people.Recently, HMC also celebrated International Epilepsy Day with activities aimed at raising awareness of epilepsy and encouraging people with this condition to seek professional medical care.According to Dr Deleu, the neurology department has completed a research study on the patterns, causes and effects of epilepsy in the population. “The results of the study are being analysed and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology in April this year.”Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease where the body’s immune system attacks healthy nerve tissue, resulting in nerve damage that affects the whole body and causes impairment in vision, hearing, speech, breathing, and leads to balance and coordination issues.