Childhood absence epilepsy: behavioral, cognitive, and linguistic comorbidities

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Rochelle Caplan1, Prabha Siddarth, Lesley Stahl

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA. rcaplan@ucla.edu

Epilepsia
|June 19, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Children with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) often experience significant behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and language issues. Early identification and intervention are crucial, especially for those with prolonged illness or uncontrolled seizures.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is associated with long-term challenges in psychiatric, social, and vocational adult outcomes.
  • This suggests persistent unmet needs in mental health, social functioning, and vocational development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate behavioral/emotional, cognitive, and linguistic comorbidities in children with CAE.
  • To identify correlates of these comorbidities and the rate of intervention.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 69 children with CAE and 103 controls.
  • Utilized semistructured psychiatric interviews, cognitive and linguistic testing, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
  • Gathered demographic, seizure, and behavioral data from parents.

Main Results:

  • CAE children showed higher rates of cognitive deficits (25%), linguistic difficulties (43%), and psychiatric diagnoses (61%), including ADHD and anxiety disorders.
  • CBCL scores indicated attention, somatic, social, and thought problems.
  • Illness duration, seizure frequency, and antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment correlated with comorbidity severity.
  • Only 23% of CAE subjects received intervention for these comorbidities.

Conclusions:

  • A high prevalence of impaired behavior, emotions, cognition, and language exists in children with CAE.
  • Low intervention rates highlight the need for early identification and treatment.
  • Clinicians should be vigilant for these comorbidities, particularly in children with longer illness duration, frequent seizures, or on AEDs.
Abstract

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