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[Clinical-radiological evaluation of infantile autism and epileptic syndromes associated with autism]
F J Carod1, J M Prats, C Garaizar
1Servicio de Neuropediatria, Hospital de Cruces, Barakaldo, Vizcaya.
Insights
This study found a high prevalence of epilepsy in autistic children, with 47% experiencing epileptic syndromes. Idiopathic and cryptogenic epilepsy were more common in cryptogenic autism cases.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Genetics
Context:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
- Epilepsy frequently co-occurs with ASD, but prevalence rates vary.
- Understanding associated medical conditions in autism is crucial for comprehensive care.
Purpose:
- To investigate the prevalence of epileptic syndromes in a cohort of juvenile autistic patients.
- To explore the association between autism etiology and epilepsy type.
- To examine pre- and perinatal factors and family history in autistic children.
Summary:
- A retrospective study analyzed 62 autistic children diagnosed over 20 years.
- Etiologies included specific syndromes (13%), perinatal encephalopathies (23%), brain tumors (3.2%), and genetic autism (61%).
- Epilepsy prevalence was 47%, higher than literature estimates, with idiopathic and cryptogenic epilepsy more frequent in cryptogenic autism.
Impact:
- Highlights a significantly higher epilepsy rate in autistic children than previously reported.
- Suggests a potential link between autism etiology and specific epilepsy types.
- Informs clinical practice regarding the screening and management of epilepsy in autistic populations.
Abstract:
With the aim of ascertaining the existence of medical conditions associated with autism, the presence of pre- and perinatal factors, family antecedents as well as the prevalence rate of different epileptic syndromes in the juvenile autistic population, we carried out a retrospective observational study and looked at the medical history of 62 autistic children so diagnosed in the neuropaediatric service at Barakaldo Hospital Cruces in the past twenty years. All of them were diagnosed by a child neurologist following DSM-III-R criteria, having been by the same physician on at least one occasion. From the etiologic point of view, eight children (13%) presented specific syndromes, fifteen (23%) presented encephalopathies acquired pre-or perinatally, two (3.2%) had brain tumours and the remaining thirty-seven (61%) presented critogenetic autism. 47% of autistic children were seen to have some kind of epileptic syndrome: six had idiopathic epilepsy (juvenile myoclonic epilepsy 1: partial benign epilepsy with Rolandic point 2 ; petit mal 1; generalised primary epilepsy grand mal type 1); eleven had cryptogenic epilepsy (myoclonic epilepsy 1 ; focal 7; grand mal 1; Lennox 2) and secondary epilepsy in eleven other cases (West 4; focal 6; grand mal). In the literature an epileptic frequency among autistic subjects is quoted as being between 16% and 35% dropping to 6% in slight cryptogenic autistic cases. Our frequency rate among autistic children is much higher, reaching 47% of the total and affecting 46% of cryptogenic autistic cases. There were no cases of polymorphic nursing epilepsy in our series. Idiopathic and cryptogenic epilepsy were more frequent in cryptogenic autism.