LDL and Stroke Prevention: How Low to Go

Hans-Christoph Diener, MD, PhD

January 28, 2020

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Dear colleagues, I'm Christoph Diener, a neurologist from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, here to discuss five interesting studies published in November 2019.

Vitamin D3's Role Unclear in Multiple Sclerosis

There are a number of registry studies indicating that low vitamin D3 levels are, perhaps, a risk factor in multiple sclerosis. In a publication in Neurology, investigators behind the SOLAR study reported results in 229 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with interferon-beta-1a. Patients were then randomized to receive either 14,000 units of vitamin D3 per day or placebo.

The primary endpoint—no evidence of disease activity at week 48—was achieved by 35% in both treatment groups. Although there was no benefit to vitamin D3 overall, a subgroup analysis did show a tendency toward fewer new lesions on MRI imaging with vitamin D3.

Three Options for Treating Status Epilepticus Refractory to Benzodiazepines

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine addressed the very important question of what is the best treatment for patients with status epilepticus who initially do not respond to benzodiazepines. Investigators randomized patients to receive levetiracetam (145 patients), fosphenytoin (118), or valproate (121).

The primary endpoint of absence of clinically evident seizures and improvement in the level of consciousness by 60 minutes after the start of drug infusion was achieved in 45%-47% of patients across the three treatments.

Comments

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.