New Delhi: All India Institute of Medical Sciences has started an advanced blood testing service that can help doctors more accurately treat epilepsy patients and reduce the risk of medicine-related side effects.The new facility at AIIMS‘ Neurosciences Centre will monitor the levels of two commonly used anti-epilepsy medicines — levetiracetam and lamotrigine — in a patient’s blood. Doctors say this is important because the same dose may affect patients differently, and incorrect drug levels can either fail to control seizures or cause toxicity.The specialised testing, known as Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM), started this week and is currently being provided free of cost. AIIMS officials said the tests may later be offered at highly subsidised rates as per institute policy. At present, similar tests in private laboratories can cost between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000 for each drug.Experts said the test can help doctors personalise treatment by adjusting medicine doses according to the patient’s response, body chemistry and risk of side effects. It can also help identify cases where medicines are not reaching effective levels despite regular intake.AIIMS officials said the in-house facility is expected to improve access to precision-based epilepsy care.Prof S.B. Gaikwad, chief of the Neurosciences Centre, said advanced neurodiagnostic facilities are helping improve diagnosis and treatment of complex neurological disorders.Prof Ashok Sharma, professor In-charge of the Neurobiochemistry Laboratory, said only a small blood sample is needed for the test and reports will be available online through the e-Hospital and ORS portals.The facility is available for both OPD and admitted patients at AIIMS New Delhi and also at the NCI-AIIMS Jhajjar campus.The facility is available for both OPD and admitted patients at AIIMS New Delhi and also at the NCI-AIIMS Jhajjar campus.Doctors say epilepsy patients often require years of medication and regular monitoring, making affordable access to such testing important.
