title: The prognosis of childhood epilepsy
abstract: Childhood epilepsy is often outgrown. The diagnosis of epilepsy should be restricted to those with at least two seizures. Population based studies from Olmstead County, MN; Uppsala, Sweden; Turku, Finland; and Nova Scotia, Canada, have developed schemes for prediction of long-term outcome. Although rates of remission are similar, each study notes different predictive factors. A scoring system developed in Nova Scotia has been validated in Turku, Finland, suggesting that age of onset, intelligence, neonatal seizures, and many seizures before treatment are useful predictors of remission. The syndromic approach to childhood epilepsy does not appear to be particularly powerful to predict outcome.
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Camfield
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Camfield