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Does epilepsy occur more frequently in children with Type 1 diabetes?

Michele A O'Connell1, A Simon Harvey, Mark T Mackay

  • 1Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Royal Children's Hospital, Victoria, Australia. michele.oconnell@rch.org.au

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
|November 18, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Children with Type 1 diabetes do not have a higher risk of developing epilepsy compared to the general pediatric population. This study found similar epilepsy prevalence in diabetic children, addressing concerns about seizure thresholds.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Endocrinology
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Hypoglycemic seizures and EEG abnormalities are known in children with diabetes.
  • Glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies, linked to Type 1 diabetes, are implicated in neurological disorders.
  • The risk of epilepsy in children with diabetes remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and types of epilepsy in children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes.
  • To investigate if children with diabetes have a higher predisposition to epilepsy.
  • To assess the relationship between diabetes and epilepsy in a pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Chart review audit conducted at a large pediatric diabetes clinic.
  • Inclusion of clinical, demographic, biochemical, EEG, and neuro-imaging data.
  • Analysis of data from 1384 children and adolescents aged 0-19 years with Type 1 diabetes.

Main Results:

  • Twelve cases of active epilepsy were identified, yielding a prevalence of 8.7 per 1000 children.
  • The majority of epilepsy cases involved idiopathic generalized epilepsy and benign focal epilepsy of childhood.
  • The observed prevalence of epilepsy in this cohort is comparable to the general pediatric population.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood epilepsy occurs with similar frequency in children with Type 1 diabetes as in the general pediatric population.
  • There is no increased risk of epilepsy in pediatric patients with Type 1 diabetes.
  • Further research may explore specific epilepsy syndromes in this population.
Abstract

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