Review of East-West Medical Literature on the Classification of Epilepsy and New Proposal

Journal of the Korean Society of Preventive Oriental Medicine
The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the types of epileptic seizures and classification of epilepsy described in Western and East Asian medical literature, especially based on two criteria: theoretical and practical aspects of the classification system. Many epileptic patients cannot be easily classified as ‘focus’ or ‘generalization’, ‘symptom’ or ‘unusual’, so they do not fall into one of the ILAE categories accurately. The terms and concepts used in East Asian medicine are ambiguous in definition and use, making it inappropriate to identify epilepsy seizure types and epilepsy syndrome as separate diagnostic entities. Therefore, this paper not only helps us understand the mechanism of epilepsy, but also presents an alternative approach that is more easily applicable and effective in clinical value.