Precipitating Factors of the Initial Seizure in Childhood Epilepsy

Kim, Sun Young; Song, Ik Jin; Nam, Sang Ook

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Control of seizure inducing factors (SIFs) is essential in the management of epilepsy. We suggest that avoiding of SIFs may prevent first attak of seizure in patients with risk factors or family history of epilepsy. We observed SIFs, clinical features associated with SIFs on their first seizure attack in patients diagnosed as epilepsy to help the prevention or management of the childhood epilepsy.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
A retrospective study was undertaken the analysis of 339 epileptic children visited to the pediatric Department of Pusan National University hospital from November, 1992 to July, 1998.
RESULTS
1) The 168 of 339 patients (49.5%) are associated with SIFs on first seizure attack. 2) Mean Age on their first seizure attack in the group with SIFs is 4.08+/-3.63 year-old and without SIFs is 2.80+/-3.34 year-old.3) The factors were febrile state (32.7%), sleepy state (29.0%), acute illness (8.3%), emotional stress (5.8%), fatigue (5.3%), hypoxia (4.7%), during watching TV or playing game (3.5%), head trauma (3.5%), bathing (2.8%), infection of central nervous system (2.3%), sleep deprivation (1.1%), vaccination (0.5%), hyperventilation(0.5%). 4) The types of seizure in patients with SIFs were as following : generalized tonic, clonic, tonic-clonic seiuzre was 140(90.9%), partial seiuzre 14(9.1%). 5) The family history of seizure disorders were not associated with SIFs. And 14(8.3%) of patients with SIFs had developmental delay, 24 (14.0%) of patients without SIFs. 6. Mean duration of control seizure was 1.52+/-2.65 years in the group with SIFs, 0.84+/-1.30 years in the group without SIFs.
CONCLUSION
Early detection and education of the possible SIFs in each epileptic patients is considered as an important therapeutic modality in managing the epileptic patients in childhood.