Risk factors influencing the outcomes in infants with epilepsy

Abstract

Background Epilepsy in young children should always be considered as a symptom of an underlying brain disease. Parents and caregivers often asked whether the seizures can be controlled and whether the epilepsy will affect the child development. Objective To find out risk factors influencing the outcomes in infants with epilepsy. Methods This was a retrospective study on infants aged 1 month until 12 months with recurrent epileptic seizures. We looked for the risk factors as sex, types of medication, age at onset of seizure, epilepsy syndrome, etiology of epilepsy, history of neonatal seizure, first EEG features, and type of seizure for the last 6 month-period. The outcomes evaluated were controlled seizure and developmental status. Results Hundred forty infants with epilepsy were reviewed, consisted of 84 (60%) infants with symptomatic epilepsy, and 56 (40%) infants categorized as idiopathic. Forty-six (33%) infants had controlled seizure, while 94 (67%) infants had uncontrolled seizure. Abnormal developmental status was found in 75 infants (54%). Abnormal developmental status was more found in infants with polytherapy, age at onset of 1-4 months, symptomatic epilepsy, positive remote symptomatic, history of neonatal seizure, abnormality of first EEG, and uncontrolled seizure. Uncontrolled seizure of epilepsy was more found in infants with polytherapy, early age at onset (1-4 month old), symptomatic epilepsy, positive remote symptomatic, history of neonatal seizure, and abnormality of first EEG. Conclusion Our data indicate that classifying syndrome of epilepsy through diagnostic screening and age of onset are important to determine the outcomes.

Keywords

• recurrent epileptic seizure
• symptomatic epilepsy
• risk factors