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Absence seizures in children

Ewa Posner1

  • 1University Hospital of North Durham, Durham, UK.

BMJ Clinical Evidence
|December 20, 2013
PubMed

Insights

This systematic review examines treatments for typical absence seizures in children. It evaluates the effectiveness and safety of medications like ethosuximide and valproate.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Typical absence seizures account for 10% of childhood epilepsy cases.
  • These seizures significantly impair children's quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review the effects of treatments for typical absence seizures in children.
  • To assess the efficacy and safety of various antiepileptic drugs.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of 18 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews of RCTs.
  • Searches conducted in major databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library) up to July 2013.
  • Inclusion of safety alerts from regulatory agencies (FDA, EMA, MHRA).

Main Results:

  • The review identified and evaluated evidence for several interventions.
  • GRADE methodology was used to assess the quality of evidence for each treatment.

Conclusions:

  • Information on the effectiveness and safety of clonazepam, ethosuximide, gabapentin, lamotrigine, and valproate is presented.
  • This review provides evidence-based insights for managing typical absence seizures in pediatric patients.
Abstract

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