Etiologies, outcomes, and risk factors for epilepsy in infants: a case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the etiologies, outcomes, and risk factors for epilepsy in infants.


METHODS
This retrospective study included all children who had their first afebrile seizure between 1 and 12 months of age, and who were followed in the Child Neurology Clinic at the Jordan University Hospital from January 2004 to January 2006. Medical records were reviewed to collect demographic data and the clinical data pertaining to epilepsy. An age-matched control group of healthy children in a 1:2 ratio was included to determine the risk factors for epilepsy. For statistical analysis, SPSS, Version 13, was used.


RESULTS
Fifty-five patients were included in the study group and 111 were in the control group. Epilepsy was classified as follows: symptomatic in 24 (43.6%) children, probably symptomatic (cryptogenic) in 28 (50.9%) children, and idiopathic in 3 (5.5%) children. The etiologies of epilepsy in the symptomatic group included hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (n=11), cortical malformations (n=5), neurocutaneous syndromes (n=2), metabolic disorders (n=4), leukodystrophy (n=1), and craniosynostosis (n=1). Twenty-seven patients (49%) were seizure-free at their last follow-up visit for at least the last 6 months; only six patients (10.9%) continued to have normal development at the time of their last follow-up examination. The risk factors for epilepsy included parental consanguinity (P=0.0003), a family history of global developmental delay (P=0.0002), a family history of epilepsy (P=0.010), and a positive perinatal history (P=0.011).


CONCLUSIONS
This study emphasized that afebrile convulsions in infancy are rarely benign. Furthermore, consanguinity was shown to be a major risk factor for epilepsy.
Masri
Amira
A
The University of Jordan, Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Department, Division of Child Neurology, Jordan. masriamira69@hotmail.com
Badran
Eman
E
Hamamy
Hanan
H
Assaf
Abeer
A
Al-Qudah
Abdelkarim A
AA
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003241:Consanguinity; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013036:Spasms, Infantile / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics
D000927:Anticonvulsants