Could Blood Pressure Meds Help Prevent Adult Epilepsy? [Video]

Key Takeaways

A class of blood pressure meds appear to reduce seniors’ risk of epilepsyPeople taking angiotensin receptor blockers had as much as 30% less risk of developing epilepsyThis held true even when people who’d had a stroke — the top cause of epilepsy in adults — were removed from the analysis

THURSDAY, June 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A class of blood pressure medications appears to also help lower seniors’ risk of developing epilepsy, a new study finds.

The drugs, called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), might prevent epilepsy in people at highest risk of the disease, researchers reported June 17 in the journal JAMA Neurology.

“This is incredibly exciting because we don’t currently have any medicines that prevent epilepsy,” said senior researcher Dr. Kimford Meador, a professor of neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine. “I hope these initial findings lead to randomized clinical trials.”

Epilepsy is most often diagnosed during childhood, but more …