Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the electroclinical features and the outcome of patients with typical absences starting before the 3 years of life. Methods: We reviewed the clinical data of patients with absences started before 3 years observed over a 15-year period. Mutation analysis of SLC2A1 (GLUT-1) gene was performed when possible. Their clinical features were compared with those of subjects with a diagnosis of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE). Results: Among 33 children with absence epilepsy starting before 3 years of life, there were 20 boys and 13 girls. Mean seizure onset was at 28.0 ± 8.3 (range: 8-36) months of life. Two children displayed borderline intellectual functioning at long-term follow-up. Twenty-eight (85%) patients showed excellent response to therapy. Three subjects evolved into a different form of idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). No SLC2A1 mutation was identified in 20 (60.6%) patients tested.The main clinical features of patients with early-onset absences did not differ from those of CAE except for increased prevalence of males (p=0.002) and longer treatment duration (p=0.001) in the former. Conclusions: Strong similarities in the electroclinical features and outcome between children with early-onset absences and those with CAE support the view that these conditions are part of the wide spectrum of IGE.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 221-226 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Epilepsy Research |
Volume | 95 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2011 |
Keywords
- Absence epilepsy
- Early-onset
- EEG
- IGE
- SLC2A1
- Therapy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Neurology