title: Long term outcome in children affected by absence epilepsy with onset before the age of three years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to define the long-term outcome of absence epilepsy presenting before the age of 3 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively studied the medical records of 40 children from eight neuropediatric centers in Italy with respect to the personal and family histories of epilepsy or febrile seizures, time of follow-up, cognitive functions, treatment, and outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty patients were enrolled in this study. They all fulfilled the criteria for absence epilepsy with 3-Hz spike-wave complexes on the EEG, normal neurological examination, and no other seizures types. Seizure onset occurred between 24.1 and 36.0 months. There was a family history of epilepsy in 28%, and of febrile seizures in 13%. Thirty-three patients were treated with valproic acid (VPA), mostly used in monotherapy (26 patients) or in association with ethosuximide. At final follow-up, 33 patients were seizure free and 29 had normal EEGs. Thirty-four patients had a normal intelligence quotient (IQ), whereas 6 had a decreased IQ, mainly associated with poor control of seizures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our series, absence seizures presenting before the age of 3 appeared to have quite a good long-term clinical prognosis; the neuropsychological outcome was comparable to that of childhood epilepsy presenting after 3 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verrotti
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agostinelli
authors.forename: Giangennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grosso
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spalice
authors.forename: Nelia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zamponi
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franzoni
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Iannetti
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiarelli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Curatolo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005013:Ethosuximide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D005013:Ethosuximide; D014635:Valproic Acid