[A study of 95 families having at least two epileptic children (author's transl)]

This report concerns a study of 95 families in which at least two of the children had epilepsy (a total of 210 cases). A total of 45 p. 100 of the patients were from 60 p. 100 of the families and had an intellectual level below the average, and 32 p. 100 of them had an IQ below 70. The family history was the same whether the children were mentally deficient or not. There was no family history of mental deficiency in those families where the epileptic children had a normal IQ but there was a positive family history in 25 p. 100 of families having at least one mentally deficient and epileptic child. The persistence of seizures after 5 years of treatment is seen much more frequently in mentally deficient children than in those with normal intelligence. Finally, the position of the child within the family has no influence and epilepsy may be found in any of the children.