Review
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World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. Sep 22, 2022; 13(5): 143-156
Published online Sep 22, 2022. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v13.i5.143
Epilepsy and the gut: Perpetrator or victim?
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Nermin Kamal Saeed
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Algharbia, Egypt
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center, King Abdulla Medica City, Arabian Gulf University, Manama 26671, Bahrain
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center, King Abdulla Medical City, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Manama 26671, Bahrain
Nermin Kamal Saeed, Medical Microbiology Section, Department of Pathology, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain, Manama 26612, Bahrain
Nermin Kamal Saeed, Department of Microbiology, Irish Royal College of Surgeon, Busaiteen 15503, Muharraq, Bahrain
Author contributions: Al-Biltagi M and Saeed NK collected the data and wrote and revised the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohammed Al-Beltagi, MBChB, MD, MSc, PhD, Chairman, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Al Bahr Streat, Tanta 31527, Algharbia, Egypt. mbelrem@hotmail.com
Received: May 16, 2022
Peer-review started: May 16, 2022
First decision: June 8, 2022
Revised: June 8, 2022
Accepted: August 25, 2022
Article in press: August 25, 2022
Published online: September 22, 2022
Processing time: 128 Days and 15.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: The brain and the gut have an intense but complex interaction through a strong relationship between the enteric and the central nervous systems. Epilepsy and the gut may affect each other in diverse ways. About 2.5% of patients with epilepsy are misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal disorders, especially at an early age. Gut dysbiosis also has a significant role in epileptogenesis. Epilepsy affects the gastrointestinal tract in different forms, such as abdominal aura, epilepsy with abdominal pain, and the adverse effects of antiseizure medications on the gut and the gut microbiota. Simultaneously, many gut manipulations successfully managed some cases of epilepsy.