To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Previously Unrecognised Seizure Increases the Risk of Recurrence in Children Presenting With a First Recognised Seizure: Presented at AES URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/21876E.htm Doctor's Guide December 4, 2007
By Bryan DeBusk, PhD PHILADELPHIA, PA -- December 4, 2007 -- One in four children presenting with a first recognised seizure will go on to have recurrent seizures if the family or physician identifies a previously unrecognised seizure, according to research presented here at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES). The study was presented by David Dunn, MD, Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Speaking on December 1, Dr. Dunn said, "We were interested in that group of kids that went on to have seizures but didn't seem to have a lot of signs that would tell us they were going to have recurrences, so we eliminated all of the kids with intellectual disability or significantly abnormal neurological exams because we know those kids are going to have recurrences of seizures. We're really interested in this other group of kids that we don't have good predictors for." The researchers tracked 282 children ages 6 to 14 years for 36 months following a first recognised seizure. To identify possible predictors of persistent seizures, they examined a number of variables including age of seizure onset, IQ, psychotropic and antiepileptic drug use, seizure type, presence or absence of epilepsy syndrome, presence or absence of unrecognised seizures, and results of neurological exams, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results show that 15% of patients studied experienced persistent seizures, but the researchers did not identify any correlation between seizure recurrence and most of the variables examined. A total of 102 patients had unrecognised seizures prior to presentation with a recognised seizure; 23.5% of these patients had persistent seizures during the followup period, while 10% of patients without prior unrecognised seizures had a recurrence (P =.002). Additionally, a normal MRI result at the initial presentation indicated a decreased likelihood of persistent seizures (P =.049). Dr. Dunn said he hopes these results will encourage physicians to question families more closely about the possibility of previous seizures. "We think particularly this history of prior unrecognised seizures may help people pick out which group of kids they're going to go ahead and treat." [Presentation title: Risk Factors at Baseline for Persistent Seizure After a First Recognized Seizure. Abstract 1.159] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.