Developmental retardation in children with refractory epilepsy.
It is controversial whether developmental retardation occurs in children with epilepsy and what causes the retardation if it occurs. The present study aims to reveal the factors associated with the retardation. The patients were 126 children who had been developmentally normal before the onset of epilepsy and had been followed for more than five years. Forty-eight of the 126 children showed mental retardation, and the remaining 78 had normal mental development at the follow-up. Developmental retardation was observed in children with onset before one year, known etiology, diffuse slow spike-wave or hypsarrhythmia on EEG, ingestion of six or more drugs and high blood levels of phenobarbital or phenytoin. Late onset of epilepsy, idiopathic or familial etiology, ingestion of five drugs or less and low blood level of phenobarbital or phenytoin were associated with normal development.
Kurokawa
T
T
Akazawa
K
K
Sakamoto
K
K
Maeda
Y
Y
Kitamoto
I
I
Nose
Y
Y
Ueda
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000209:etiology*