The Effects of Smoking on Epilepsy; A Systematic Review

Abstract

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects over 50 million people each year. In the U.S. alone it is estimated that 1.2% of the population is actively receiving treatment for epilepsy related symptoms and the percentage increases exponentially in low or middle-income countries. Epilepsy is a treatable condition, with an estimated 70% of people able to become seizure free if treated properly, but treatment is expensive and its availability is below 50% in low SES countries. Many factors have been shown to cause epilepsy, such as genetics, stroke, or head injury to name a few, but many cases still have undetermined causes. Smoking is a known risk factor for many diseases and it has been noted that among people with epilepsy there is a significant increase in smoking rates compared to the general population making its effect on epilepsy an area of concern. The widespread use of cigarettes and the high prevalence of epilepsy in the general population leads to the goal of this paper, which is to study the effect that smoking has on the development of epilepsy, as well as the impact of smoking on the symptoms of epilepsy in adults. The broader impact of this study is to increase awareness about the prevalence of epilepsy and possible risk factors in the general population, as well as to attempt to decrease smoking rates among those with epilepsy by summarizing evidence of risks connected to smoking