ENHANCING DRAVET SYNDROME OUTCOMES: STRATEGIES FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT

TARGET AUDIENCE
The educational design of this activity addresses the needs of neurologists, pediatric neurologists, epileptologists, pediatric epileptologists, pediatricians, primary care providers, general practitioners, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists involved and/or interested in the management of patients with DS.

STATEMENT OF NEED/PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Despite the importance of early diagnosis, Dravet syndrome (DS) is often misdiagnosed in children and is thought to be underdiagnosed in adults with epilepsy. Making a correct and early diagnosis is critical to avoiding unnecessary testing, choosing the best treatment available, and staying away from medications that can exacerbate the condition.

In addition, until recently, very little clinical evidence was available to guide the treatment of DS. Published several years ago, the guidelines do not consider the latest randomized clinical‐trial data on efficacy and safety of newer therapeutic options.

Join our esteemed panel, Dr. Danielle Andrade and Dr. Mary Zupanc, for a case-based discussion of the accurate and timely diagnosis of DS in children and adults. Once a diagnosis has been established, these experts will explore optimal treatment selections and strategies for shared decision-making with patients, families, and caregivers. Panelists will also review the importance of multidisciplinary collaborations between specialists to ensure seizures, non-seizure symptoms, side-effects, and comorbidities are addressed.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:
• Review data from clinical trials of new antiseizure medications as related to the standard of care of DS management
• Evaluate each patient’s response to antiseizure medications for prompt adjustment of therapy
• Confirm a diagnosis of DS in children presenting with symptoms or in children and adults presenting with DRE using new diagnostic approaches that include diagnostic testing
• Devise a multidisciplinary approach to DS management to address seizure- and non‐seizure‐related symptoms