It used to be common practice to treat an "unprovoked" seizure (or one not caused by serious head trauma, or an infection, or other known cause) with antiepileptic drugs (AED). But researchers and child neurologists now believe that there may be risks of chronic daily treatment with AED that could be more detrimental to the child's health or development than seizure recurrence. Therefore the risks and benefits of treatment must be individualized.
Approximately 25,000 to 40,000 U.S. children experience a first unprovoked seizure each year. According to a lead author of the guidelines, about 1 percent of all children will develop epilepsy, defined as two or more incidents of unprovoked seizures.
Before any treatment decisions are made, it's important to determine whether the event is truly a seizure, and if it's the child's first, said Deborah Hirtz, MD, a child neurologist and program director for clinical trials at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland. "Carefully reviewing the child's medical history may rule out any unrecognized prior seizures and a neurological exam can indicate if there are any abnormalities that increase the risk for developing epilepsy," said Hirtz.
Most children with a first unprovoked seizure will have few or no recurrences, according to the guidelines, and about 10 percent will have 10 or more seizures despite therapy.
Guidelines are not a substitute for the experience and judgment of a physician and are developed to enhance the physician's ability to practice evidence-based medicine.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 18,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit its website at www.aan.com.
The Child Neurology Society is a professional organization of 1,400 child neurologists that care for children with neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders (www.childneurologysociety.org/).
A neurologist is a medical doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system.
For information contact: Kathy Stone, 651-695-2763, kstone@aan.com
For a copy of the study contact: Cheryl Alementi, 651-695-2737, calementi@aan.com
Journal
Neurology