Risk Factors for Drug Resistance in Epileptic Children with Age of Onset above Five Years: A Case-Control Study

Irawan Mangunatmadja1, Raden Muhammad Indra2, Dwi Putro Widodo1

  • 1Department of Child Health, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Tertiary General Hospital-Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Behavioural Neurology
|November 22, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Children over five with epilepsy may face drug resistance. Poor early treatment response and symptomatic causes are key risk factors for this condition.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epileptology
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Children with epilepsy starting after age five have unique traits and potential resistance factors to antiseizure medications (ASMs).
  • Research specifically on this age group's drug resistance is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To pinpoint risk factors for drug resistance in children whose epilepsy began after age five.
  • To inform targeted treatment strategies for pediatric epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study compared drug-resistant and drug-responsive children (epilepsy onset >5 years) using the 2010 ILAE classification.
  • Data collected included seizure characteristics, illness duration, etiology, seizure types, EEG, brain imaging, and initial treatment response.

Main Results:

  • Symptomatic etiology was strongly linked to drug resistance (adjusted OR: 84.71).
  • Failure to achieve an early treatment response was also a significant predictor (adjusted OR: 72.55).

Conclusions:

  • Symptomatic etiology and a poor initial response to antiseizure medications are independent risk factors for drug resistance.
  • These findings highlight critical factors for managing epilepsy in children with later onset.
Abstract

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