Search

Background: Alcohol consumption is widespread in student environments. The objective of the study was to examine alcohol use among students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in a twelve-year perspective., Material and Method: The study is cross-sectional, based on two questionnaire surveys conducted in lecture breaks at NTNU in 2007 and 2019. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The questionnaire surveyed background variables and alcohol use, and included questions from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The respondents were categorised into risk profiles based on their results. An AUDIT score of ≥ 8 was used as the threshold value for risky/potentially harmful alcohol use., Results: The study included 2,247 students: 857 from 2007 and 1,390 from 2019. The proportion of women was 42.3 % in 2007 and 54.9 % in 2019. The average age was 21.5 years (2007) and 22.5 years (2019). The average AUDIT score was 10.7 in 2007 and 8.5 in 2019. A total of 937 students (67.6 %) consumed alcohol two to four times per month or more in 2019, a reduction of 9.8 % from 2007. Altogether 885 students (67.8 %) consumed five or more alcohol units on a typical drinking day in 2019, a reduction of 12.8 % from 2007., Interpretation: A considerable one-fifth reduction in the proportion of students with risky alcohol use occurred from 2007 to 2019. However, the alcohol use of more than half of the students may still pose a long-term risk.

Careful brain monitoring saves lives and is beneficial to patients' health. Nevertheless, Norway lacks guidelines for brain monitoring in hospitals.

Recent studies have shown that corticosteroid treatment of patients with vestibular neuritis significantly improves recovery of peripheral vestibular function. At follow-up, the number of patients with a normal caloric response was larger among those treated with corticosteroids. However, improvement of caloric responses may not correlate directly with patient symptoms and up to now improved vertigo/dizziness due to corticosteroid treatment has not been reported. Consequently, although corticosteroid may be a treatment option, it should currently only be considered in those vestibular neuritis patients who are willing to take part in a structured follow-up with both caloric testing and evaluation of subjective symptoms.

Background: To find out how current regulations concerning epilepsy and driving licence are applied in clinical practice in Norway., Material and Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all 344 members of the Norwegian Neurological Association., Results: 56% responded within 3 months, most of them (152) working in the field of clinical neurology. The majority (73%) did not see reporting a "situation-related" seizure to the authorities as obligatory, but almost all of these respondents (94%) would temporarily disallow driving. 60% did not consider it obligatory to report the exclusive occurrence of simple partial seizures with retained consciousness and motor control. A surprisingly large number (36%) would never recommend dispensation from the rule instituting a one-year driving ban. 39% generally used EEG in the assessment of driving fitness, whereas 17 % rarely did so. Only 50% instructed their patients not to drive during antiepileptic drug withdrawal. 45% did not consider seizure recurrence resulting from consented withdrawal to activate the obligation to report., Conclusion: There is poor consensus among neurologists on many aspects of driving and epilepsy, particularly on the assessment of risk when drugs are withdrawn. These issues should be focused on in graduate and postgraduate education in clinical neurology.

Background: Although alcohol-related seizures have been recognized since antiquity, their pathophysiology, classification and treatment options remain unsettled., Material and Methods: On the basis of clinical studies experience and literature searches, a review of classification, diagnostics and treatment of alcohol-related seizures is given., Results: The best-described entity is the alcohol withdrawal seizure, usually occurring within 48 hours after cessation of drinking. However, alcohol can also trigger seizures unrelated to withdrawal, impair seizure control in epilepsy, and has the potential to induce epilepsy. Approximately one third of patients being hospitalized for acute seizures have overused alcohol prior to the seizure. The clinical diagnosis is based on a thorough medical history. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) provides a reliable measure of drinking habits. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is the best biomarker for alcohol abuse available and a good supplement to the clinical investigation. The diagnostic value of EEG is limited., Interpretation: Acute seizure management does not differ from that of other seizures. After a withdrawal seizure, prophylactic medication should be restricted to the first few days: In co-existing epilepsy and alcohol abuse, anti-epileptic drugs should be used with caution. There is little evidence to support the general advice that well-controlled epilepsy patients need to abstain completely from alcohol.