Chapter Name: The Finnish Epilepsy Society
Report By: Terhi Pirttilä, secretary of the society

Publications:

-

Summary of Activities:

ANNUAL REPORT
2019-2020

Finnish Epilepsy Society is a Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in Finland. Members of the professional society constitute of 249 clinicians and scientists working within epileptology. Finnish Epilepsy Society promotes research, treatment and prevention of epilepsy and the exchange of medical and scientific information related to epilepsy in Finland. The society is active also in international collaboration especially in ILAE-related commissions and projects.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

National teaching courses

In 2019 Finnish Epilepsy Society organized together with Finnish Association of Pediatric Neurology a teaching course on epilepsy as part of the annual teaching course of Finnish Association of Pediatric Neurology. The course was held 22nd March 2019 in Tahko skiresort, Kuopio, Finland. Visiting lecturer professor Marina Nikaronova from Denmark gave a lecture entitled ” Treatment of childhood onset intractable epilepsy syndromes” and professor Jukka Peltola´s lecture was entitled ” Childhood onset intractable epilepsy syndromes in adulthood”. Docent Tarja Linnankivi lectured about cannabidiol (CBD) in treatment of epilepsy, professor Reetta Kälviäinen and MD Anni Saarela delt with transition phase from childhood to adulthood and docent Anna-Kaisa Anttonen with professor Johanna Uusimaa lectured on genetics in epilepsy. The Annual meeting of Finnish Epilepsy Society was also held alongside. The course had 50 participants including lecturers.

In 2020 Finnish Epilepsy Society was one of the organizers in Kuopio Epilepsy Symposium 2020 that was held on 26.-27.3.2020. The symposium was the 9th in a series of epilepsy meetings organized in collaboration by the Finnish Epilepsy Society, the Finnish Association of Pediatric Neurology, the Finnish Epilepsy Association, the Department of Neurology (University of Eastern Finland) and Neurocenter (Kuopio University Hospital), an EpiCARE ERN member. Due to Corona virus (COVID19) pandemic, the symposium was held via virtual connections only. The themes in the symposium were: Emergency treatment and status epilepticus, Hot topics in developing diagnostics of epilepsies, Personalized medicine (Genetic epilepsies and their current diagnostics, Targeted treatments on the basis of genetic diagnosis), Difficult epilepsy and EPICARE, Natural course and current treatments of rare and complex epilepsies. The symposium included a virtual poster session and a session of oral presentations from selected abstracts (Update of epilepsy research in Finland). Lecturers in the symposium were international and domestic experts in the field of epilepsy. The symposium had 423 participants from 17 different countries.

Within the symposium, we started the ILAE-YES (Young Epilepsy Section) action and the First Meeting of ILAE-YES Finland was held.

In 2019-2020 Finnish Epilepsy Society did not organize its own annual teaching course since its major contribution to the Kuopio Epilepsy Symposium and the prevailing COVID19 pandemic.

Local education courses

Finnish Epilepsy Society has organized since 2006 local courses around Finland in collaboration with medical Pharma in Finland. The topics of the courses in 2020 were the new updated national epilepsy treatment guidelines (KäypäHoito-suositus). Due to COVID19 restrictions, the courses were put on hold at the end of the year 2020.
Table. Local courses organized in 2020.
Region Time Participants
Kuopio – Jyväskylä (web) – Mikkeli (web) – Joensuu (web) - webinar 10.2.2020 76
Helsinki – Kotka (web) – Kouvola (web) – Lahti (web) – Lappeenranta (web) 12.3.2020 75

MEETINGS

Society organizes every spring annual meeting that is open for all members of the society. Annual report, financial statement of the previous year and action plan for the next year are presented and approved in the meeting. New board members are also selected annually for one year period. The annual meeting in 2019 was held on 22nd March 2019. Members of the board were selected and they were (supplementary member in brackets) Reetta Kälviäinen (Jukka Peltola), Henna Jonsson (Sirpa Rainesalo), Salla Lamusuo (Markus Müller), Terhi Pirttilä (Tarja Puumala), Riikka Mäkinen (Johanna Uusimaa) ja Päivi Olsén (Kirsi Mikkonen). In 2020 the annual meeting was postponed due to COVID19 pandemic and was organized on 22nd September 2020. New members took the lead of the Society. Members of the board were: Jukka Peltola (Riikka Mäkinen), Henna Jonsson (Kirsi Mikkonen), Salla Lamusuo (Tuire Lähdesmäki), Leena Jutila (Terhi Pirttilä), Tiina Alapirtti (Niina Lähde) and Jonna Komulainen-Ebrahim (Johanna Piispala).

Board meetings

The board members of the society in 2019-2020 were Reetta Kälviäinen (president), Terhi Pirttilä (secretary), Henna Jonsson (treasurer), Salla Lamusuo, Riikka Mäkinen and Päivi Olsén. The board organized meetings 4 to 5 times annually.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

Finnish Epilepsy Society is the Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE).

In 2020 Finland started the action of ILAE-YES (young epilepsy section) in Finland. It aims to promote national network of epilepsy specialists, organize teaching courses and develop international connections and collaboration with other ILAE-YES partners. ILAE-YES in Finland operates under the wing of the Finnish Epilepsy Society. Chairman of ILAE-YES in Finland is Sampsa Lohi, secretary Päivi Nevalainen and other members Katri Silvennoinen and Anni Saarela. ILAE-YES Finland organized a teaching course on 28.10.20 on classification of epileptic seizures. Lecturers were Leena Jutila and Maria Peltola and 42 participants attended the course, which was organized via virtual connections.

Members of the society have also international positions: professor Reetta Kälviäinen is a member of Epilepsy Scientific Panel of European Academy of Neurology (EAN) management group (past-chair).

DOMESTIC COLLABORATION

Members of Finnish Epilepsy Society participate in the national committee to create guidelines for the treatment of epilepsy in Finland (Käypä Hoito- committee). In 2020 Käypä Hoito- committee published new update on guidelines for Treatment of epilepsy in children and febrile seizures and Treatment of epilepsy in adults.

Finnish Epilepsy Society works in close collaboration with the Finnish Epilepsy Association, a Chapter of IBE. Professor Reetta Kälviäinen, docent Liisa Metsähonkala, MD Salla Lamusuo and MD, PhD Jonna Komulainen-Ebrahim are members of a specialist committee of the Finnish Epilepsy Association. Finnish Epilepsy Society celebrates annually International Epilepsy Day together with the Finnish Epilepsy Association.

Finnish Epilepsy Society has participated in actions of ”Suomen Aivot ry”, which is a member of European Brain Council.

MEMBERS

Finnish Epilepsy Society has 249 members (in 31.12.2020). In 2019-2020 the society did not collect membership fee.

Challenges:

-

Future Plans:

In 2021 local educational courses will also be continued and an annual teaching course will be organized, due to prevailing COVID19 pandemic the meetings will be organized mainly via virtual connections. Society continues to collaborate with Finnish Epilepsy Association to promote the knowledge of epilepsy and equal access to high-quality care in Finland.

ILAE-YES Finland will also continue its curriculum. They have planned to organize a course on basics of EEG on March 2021.

Officer Election Date: 22.9.2020