Etiology, clinical course and outcome of infant epilepsy: Experience of a tertiary center in Thailand

Abstract

Purpose: Explore etiology, clinical course and outcome of infant epilepsy in Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital.

Method: Retrospective and prospective descriptive analysis of infants 1 month to 1 year diagnosed with epilepsy between January 1, 2012, and April 30, 2018.

Results: Total 57 infants. Average age of seizure onset was 4.7 months. Follow-up period averaged 34.2 months. Prenatal risk factors were found in 28.1 percent (16/57). Of these, 50 percent (8/16) had seizure in neonatal period. An additional 6 infants without any prenatal risk factor had seizure in the neonatal period, bringing the total newborn with seizure to 24.6 percent (14/57). Family history of seizure was positive in only 15.8 percent (9/57). Neuroimaging was done 68.4 percent (39/57) and electroencephalogram 50.9 percent (29/57). The etiology was mostly structural 38.6 percent (22/57), followed by unknown 35.1 percent (20/57), genetics 14 percent (8/57), infection 10.5 percent (6/57) and metabolic 1.8 percent (1/57). Status epilepticus was found 21.1 percent of the times (12/57). Antiepileptic drugs were discontinued 19.3 percent (11/57). Intractable seizure was found 29.8 percent (17/57) and developmental delay 56.1 percent (32/57). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, status epilepticus and developmental delay predicted intractable seizure, whereas, abnormal neurological examination and abnormal neuroimaging predicted developmental delay. Mortality rate was 3.5 percent.

Conclusion: The study shows that early onset of epilepsy in children under a year is similar to that found in children less than 2-3 years as found in prior studies. High percentages of intractable seizure and developmental delay were found.

Keywords: Developmental delay; Etiology; Infant epilepsy; Intractable seizure; Outcome; Under 1 year of age.