High risk of reading disability and speech sound disorder in rolandic epilepsy families: case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
Associations between rolandic epilepsy (RE) with reading disability (RD) and speech sound disorder (SSD) have not been tested in a controlled study. We conducted a case-control study to determine whether (1) RD and SSD odds are higher in RE probands than controls and (2) an RE proband predicts a family member with RD or SSD, hence suggesting a shared genetic etiology for RE, RD, and SSD.


METHODS
Unmatched case-control study with 55 stringently defined RE cases, 150 controls in the same age range lacking a primary brain disorder diagnosis, and their siblings and parents. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated by multiple logistic regression, adjusted for sex and age, and for relatives, also adjusted for comorbidity of RD and SSD in the proband.


RESULTS
RD was strongly associated with RE after adjustment for sex and age: OR 5.78 (95% CI: 2.86-11.69). An RE proband predicts RD in family members: OR 2.84 (95% CI: 1.38-5.84), but not independently of the RE proband's RD status: OR 1.30 (95% CI: 0.55-12.79). SSD was also comorbid with RE: adjusted OR 2.47 (95%CI: 1.22-4.97). An RE proband predicts SSD in relatives, even after controlling for sex, age and proband SSD comorbidity: OR 4.44 (95% CI: 1.93-10.22).


CONCLUSIONS
RE is strongly comorbid with RD and SSD. Both RD and SSD are likely to be genetically influenced and may contribute to the complex genetic etiology of the RE syndrome. Siblings of RE patients are at high risk of RD and SSD and both RE patients and their younger siblings should be screened early.
Clarke
Tara
T
Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York 10032, USA. tc2226@columbia.edu
Strug
Lisa J
LJ
Murphy
Peregrine L
PL
Bali
Bhavna
B
Carvalho
Janessa
J
Foster
Suzanne
S
Tremont
Geoffrey
G
Gagnon
Bernadine R
BR
Dorta
Nelson
N
Pal
Deb K
DK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001041:Aphasia, Wernicke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D019305:Epilepsy, Rolandic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires