Epilepsy in Children and Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities

Background: Children with developmental disabilities present a higher and increased risk of developing epilepsy when compared to the general population. Objective: To describe the main clinical and therapeutic characteristics of a group of children and adolescents with disabilities who also suffered from epilepsy. Methods: A descriptive study including 364 children and adolescents with epilepsy, from a universe of people with developmental disabilities in 8 Venezuelan states was conducted. The following variables were analyzed:patient's gender, type of epilepsy syndrome according to topographic location and pathogenesis, etiology, antiepileptic drug use and seizures control. The diagnosis, the type of epilepsy syndrome and the etiology were provided. Antiepileptic treatment was assessed and adjusted according to the diagnosed epilepsy type or syndrome. Results: Symptomatic syndromes prevailed, being detected in 312 patients (86%). Infections (41 cases), central nervous system malformations (39 cases) and hypoxic- ischemic encephalopathy (16 cases) were the leading detected causes of symptomatic epilepsy. There were 83 patients that were not being treated with antiepileptic drugs, which accounts for a 23% gap. Conclusions: The high frequency of symptomatic epilepsies and the high number of patients untreated with antiepileptic drugs may constitute an evidence of poor prenatal perinatal and postnatal health care.