title: Characterization of childhood-onset complex partial seizures associated with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a close relationship with epilepsy. A previous study showed complex partial seizures (CPS) to be the most frequent type of epileptic seizures in cases of ASD. Patients with childhood-onset CPS were retrospectively studied to investigate the prevalence of ASD and to characterize the association between CPS and ASD. The study cohort comprised 86 patients with CPS manifesting at 1 to 9 years of age. Symptomatic CPS and Panayiotopoulos syndrome were excluded. Patients with ASD (ASD group) were compared with those without ASD (non-ASD group). Of the 86 patients with childhood-onset CPS, 36 (42%) also had ASD. This ASD group was predominantly male (68.6%), with higher rates of intellectual disability (69%), and reported frequent seizures (60% had monthly or more frequent seizures). CPS without secondary generalization were more common in the ASD group (69%) than in the non-ASD group (36%), as were frontal paroxysms on EEG (54.5% vs 30%, respectively). In the non-ASD group, 82% of cases had been seizure free for 2 or more years, in comparison to 50% in the ASD group. ASD is frequently associated with childhood-onset CPS. Male gender, cognitive deficits, frequent seizures, and frontal paroxysms are risk factors for the association of ASD with CPS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan. matsuo@cc.saga-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Muneaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Kiyohisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Yuhei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hamasaki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male