Incidence of Epilepsy in Children: A Follow‐up Study Three Years After the First Seizure

Abstract

Summary A prospective epidemiological study of the incidence of epilepsy was performed in a Swedish county. The population studied during the incidence period consisted of 52,252 children âged 0–15 years. Seventy‐four children who had had their first seizure during the period February 1, 1973‐January 31, 1974 were reexamined 3 years later. Forty‐three children were classified as having epilepsy at the follow‐up, which gives an incidence of 82/100,000. The most frequent types of epilepsy found were: primary generalized epilepsy, 12/43 (27.9%); partial epilepsies, 11/43 (25.6%); and benign epilepsy of childhood with cen‐trotemporal discharges, 11/43 (25.6%). The prognostic significance of the initial EEG findings in the group with primary generalized epilepsy was low: no differences were found between the number of children who had further seizures and the number of children who had one seizure only. On the basis of clinical and EEG findings some groups tended to run a greater risk of developing recurrent seizures than others. These risk groups were children with perinatal complications or cerebral malformations and psychomotor retardation, children with partial seizures, children with absences and 3/sec spike‐and‐wave discharges, and children with benign epilepsy of childhood. RÉSUMÉ Une étude épidémiologique prospective sur l'incidence de l'épilepsie a été effectude dans un comte suódois. La population etudide durant la periode d'incidence correspondait a 52,252 enfants âgés de 0 a 15 ans. Soixante quatorze enfants ayant presents leur premiere crise durant la periode allant du ler fevrier 1973 au 31 Janvier 1974 ont été réexaminés trois ans plus tard. Quarante trois enfants ont alors pu être considered comme épileptiques ce qui donne une incidence de 82/100,000. Les types les plus frequents d'épilepsie rencontres ont été: 12 cas sur 43 (27.9%) d' épilepsie généralisée primaire, 11 cas sur 43 (25.6%) d'epilepsies partielles, et 11 cas sur 43 (25.6%) d'épilepsie bénigne de l'enfance avec decharges centro‐temporales. La signification pronostique des donnees EEG initiales dans le groupe des enfants avec epilepsie gendralisee primaire s'est averse mediocre: il n'y a pas de difference entre le nombre d'enfants qui ont eu d'autres crises par la suite et le nombre de ceux qui n'ont eu qu'une seule crise. En se basant sur des donnóes cliniques et EEG, il est apparu que certains groupes d'enfants presentaient plus de risques de voir leurs crises se rep^ter. II s'agissait des enfants ayant eu des complications perinatales ou avec malformations cerebrales et retard psychomoteur, des enfants avec crises partielles, de ceux avec absences et ddcharges de pointe‐ondes a 3/sec, et de ceux avec une Epilepsie bónigne de l'enfance. RESUMEN En un condado sueco se ha realizado un estudio epidemiológico prospectivo de la incidencia de la epilepsia. La población estudiada durante el periodo de incidencia consistié en 52,252 ninos êntre 0 y 15 anos de edad. Setenta y cuatro ninos que tuvieron su primer ataque entre el 1 de Febrero de 197...

Study about Childhood Epilepsy & Epileptic Syndromes

“…Epileptiform activity in form of spike/sharp waves was present in 68% of the patients. As seen in table-11, the percentage of epileptiform activity in the studies by Waaler [13] , Blom [32] were higher than our study. However, Waaler et.…”

Prevalence, Classification, and Severity of Epilepsy in Children in Western Norway

“…In their study of 43 patients, Blom et al (34) reported that 81 % of patients had an epileptiform EEG pattern in their initial recordings, whereas this figure had decreased to 62% at the follow-up examination 3 years later. Tsuboi (41) found that 58.5% of 378 children with epilepsy aged 6-14 years, had paroxysmal EEG activity by their first examination.…”

Crise epiléptica única: análise dos fatores de risco para recorrência

“…Assim, os casos que tiveram recorrência muito precoce não foram computados para nosso estudo, pois a partir da segunda crise foram diagnosticados como epilépticos. Na literatura, os riscos de recorrência em crianças, após uma única crise, variam de 27% a 61% 2,6,7,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . Estudos que selecionam crianças no momento da crise, e excluem aquelas com crises anteriores, demonstram riscos de 34% a 44% 2,6,7,9 .Trabalhos que recrutam indivíduos tardia ou retrospectivamente, de laboratórios de EEG, mas excluem crises anteriores, mostram riscos levemente maiores como 48% a 52% 11,14 .…”

“…Estudos que selecionam crianças no momento da crise, e excluem aquelas com crises anteriores, demonstram riscos de 34% a 44% 2,6,7,9 .Trabalhos que recrutam indivíduos tardia ou retrospectivamente, de laboratórios de EEG, mas excluem crises anteriores, mostram riscos levemente maiores como 48% a 52% 11,14 . Pesquisas incluindo crianças que já haviam apresentado crises referem riscos altos de recorrência, 61% a 62% 10,16 . Finalmente, estudos que distinguem a etiologia das crises mostram dados de recorrência distintos para os dois grupos: G-CI -37% e 29% no quinto ano 7,9 ; G -CSR -66% e 48% no quinto ano 7,9 Em nossa população, também de idade inferior a 19 anos, o risco de recorrência foi avaliado em: 18% no primeiro semestre, 27% no primeiro ano, 35% no segundo ano e 38% no terceiro ano (Fig 3).…”