Epilepsy in children in Navarre, Spain: epileptic seizure types and epileptic syndromes

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Epileptology
• Childhood Neurological Disorders

Background:

• Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in children, characterized by recurrent seizures.
• Understanding the diverse etiologies and seizure types is crucial for effective management.
• Epidemiological data on pediatric epilepsy syndromes can inform clinical practice and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the epidemiological characteristics of childhood epilepsy.
• To analyze the distribution of epilepsy etiologies and seizure types in pediatric patients.
• To identify prevalent epilepsy syndromes across different age groups in childhood.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective data collection from 365 children diagnosed with epilepsy between 1 month and 15 years of age.
• Diagnosis of epilepsy based on International League Against Epilepsy criteria.
• Analysis of etiological categories (idiopathic, cryptogenic, symptomatic) and seizure types (focal, generalized).

Main Results:

• Idiopathic epilepsy was the most common etiology (45.5%), followed by cryptogenic (29.0%) and symptomatic (25.5%).
• Focal seizures (52.9%) were more prevalent than generalized epilepsy (43.5%).
• Prevalent syndromes varied by age: West syndrome in infants, cryptogenic focal epilepsies in early childhood and adolescence, and benign epilepsies/absences in school-aged children.

Conclusions:

• Childhood epilepsy presents with diverse etiologies and seizure patterns.
• Epilepsy syndrome prevalence significantly differs across developmental stages in children.
• These findings highlight the importance of age-specific approaches in diagnosing and managing pediatric epilepsy.