Lamotrigine monotherapy for newly diagnosed typical absence seizures in children: A multi-center, uncontrolled,
Sawa Yasumoto1, Masahiro Shimizu2, Katsuaki Sato2
1Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Insights
Lamotrigine monotherapy effectively treated typical absence seizures in pediatric patients from Japan and South Korea. 35% of children achieved seizure freedom, with good tolerability and no serious adverse events reported.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Typical absence seizures are a common epilepsy syndrome in children.
- Effective and safe monotherapy options are crucial for pediatric epilepsy management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy and safety of lamotrigine monotherapy in Japanese and South Korean children with newly diagnosed typical absence seizures.
Main Methods:
- Twenty pediatric patients (4-12 years) with typical absence seizures received escalating doses of lamotrigine.
- Seizure freedom was confirmed by hyperventilation-electroencephalography (HV-EEG).
- Patients entered a 12-week maintenance phase followed by an optional extension phase.
Main Results:
- 35.0% of patients (7/20) were seizure-free at the end of the maintenance phase.
- Seizure control was generally maintained during maintenance and extension phases.
- Common adverse events included bronchitis, headache, and rash (20% each); no serious adverse events occurred.
Conclusions:
- Lamotrigine monotherapy is well-tolerated in Japanese and South Korean children with typical absence seizures.
- A 35.0% seizure-free rate was observed at the end of the maintenance phase.
- Lamotrigine represents a viable treatment option for this pediatric population.
Purpose:
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy for treating Japanese and South Korean pediatric patients with newly diagnosed typical absence seizures.
Methods:
Twenty patients with newly diagnosed typical absence seizures aged 4-12 years were enrolled in the study and were administered LTG at an initial dose of 0.3 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks, followed by 0.6 mg/kg/day for an additional 2 weeks. Thereafter, the dose was increased by 0.6 mg/kg/day up to a maximum of 10.2 mg/kg/day or 400 mg/day (whichever was the lower dose) until patients were confirmed to be seizure free induced by hyperventilation (HV). After confirmation, the dose was increased by one level (0.6 mg/kg/day). If the patient was found to be seizure free by HV-electroencephalography (EEG) on the following two consecutive visits, the patient entered the 12-week maintenance phase. After the maintenance phase, patients could enter the extension phase if clinically indicated.
Results:
The seizure-free rate confirmed by HV-EEG at the end of the maintenance phase was 35.0% (7/20 patients). Most of patients who were confirmed to be seizure free during the escalation phase had maintained seizure control during the 12-week maintenance phase and the 12-week extension phase. The most frequently noted adverse events were bronchitis, headache, and rash (20% each). No serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusion:
Lamotrigine monotherapy in Japanese and South Korean children with typical absence seizures was well tolerated and 35.0% of patients were seizure free at the end of maintenance phase.
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