Clinical Concepts in Infantile Onset Epilepsy

Excerpt

Infantile epilepsy is an intriguing disorder commonly associated with significant neurologic deterioration. In this issue of the Journal, the study by Sahu et al. has been published [1]. The authors must be appreciated for prospectively studying this group of disorders and coming up with a detailed description of seizure type, etiology, developmental status, neurological and other common medical comorbidities [1]. Their study shows that in an unselected group, a simple protocol comprising of clinical history, examination, neuroimaging and electroencephalography can provide an etiological yield comparable to the West. Perinatal asphyxia still remains the single most common etiology for infantile epilepsy as it is for cerebral palsy, global developmental delay or intellectual disability [2]. Other important facts brought out in this study are that a-third of cases were not diagnosed timely, 2/3rd had difficult to control seizures and majority (82%) had developmental delay with severe to profound delay noticed in one-third of the study population. The study result urges that a more integrated and coordinated approach for quality care centered on the whole child is needed. The treatment plan should be overarching, simultaneously targeting seizure control, comorbid problems and neurological development. …