Clobazam in refractory childhood epilepsy

Veena Kalra1, Rachna Seth, Devendra Mishra

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Insights

Clobazam is an effective broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug for childhood refractory epilepsy in India. It demonstrated significant seizure control with predominantly mild adverse drug reactions in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Clinical Pharmacology
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Refractory epilepsy in children poses significant treatment challenges.
  • Limited data exists on clobazam's efficacy and safety in the Indian pediatric population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the effectiveness of clobazam as an add-on therapy for childhood refractory epilepsy.
  • To characterize the adverse drug reaction (ADR) profile of clobazam in Indian children.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 88 children with refractory epilepsy received clobazam as add-on therapy.
  • Seizure types were diagnosed, and therapeutic response was categorized (complete, good, no response).
  • Adverse events were documented and classified as mild, moderate, or severe.

Main Results:

  • Clobazam demonstrated efficacy across various seizure types, achieving complete seizure control in 60.2% of patients.
  • Overall, 26% of patients experienced side effects, with the majority (86.9%) being mild.
  • Ataxia was the most significant side effect, leading to drug discontinuation in three patients, with complete resolution upon cessation.

Conclusions:

  • Clobazam is an effective broad-spectrum antiepileptic agent for treating refractory epilepsy in Indian children.
  • The drug is generally well-tolerated, exhibiting a favorable safety profile with predominantly mild adverse effects.
Abstract

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