Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Beagle with Lafora disease seizures helped by antiepileptic drugs
By Bart, Karin et al.·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2020·Tierheim Berlin., Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [Lafora disease in a Beagle - diagnosis and therapy].
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Beagle was brought in for muscle twitching and seizures that were triggered by stress, sounds, and light. After testing, the dog was diagnosed with Lafora disease, a rare condition that causes seizures and muscle issues. Initial treatments with two common anti-seizure medications didn't work, but switching to levetiracetam helped reduce the seizures significantly. Two years later, the dog still experiences occasional mild seizures when stressed, but there have been no more severe episodes.
People also search for: Beagle seizures treatment · Lafora disease in dogs · dog muscle twitching causes · levetiracetam for dog seizures
Abstract
Lafora disease is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder leading to an accumulation of toxic glycogen bodies into the cells of the central nervous system and other tissues. In the progressive form of myoclonic epilepsy, clinical signs typically start around 7 years of age. Causal therapy is impossible, however, in the early stages the symptoms may at least be alleviated by modern antiepileptic drugs. In the case reported here, an approximately 7-year-old Beagle presented with daytime-dependent fasciculations, focal and generalized myoclonus ranging up to a brief tonic-clonic seizure. The signs could be triggered and augmented by stress, sounds and light. Histologic examination was performed on biopsy samples of skin, liver, muscle and nervous tissue to test for the clinical diagnosis of Lafora disease. Sarcoplasmic PAS-positive plaue deposits typical of Lafora bodies were detected in the muscle biopsies but not in any of the other specimens. Initial treatment with phenobarbital and imepitoin was unsuccessful. However, treatment with levetiracetam significantly alleviated the clinical signs. At time of writing this publication, 2 years following the diagnosis, the now 9-year-old dog shows occasional, stress-related increase in fokal myoclonic seizures. Episodes of collapse or tonic-clonic seizures did not occur to any further extent.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33086413/