title: A clinical study of syndromes of idiopathic (genetic) generalized epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epidemiologic data concerning idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs) are scarce or often unreliable. In the current study, we specifically analyzed the syndromes of IGE based on their demographic, clinical, and EEG findings to determine if other than the seizure type(s) and age of onset, there are any other distinctive features to distinguish these syndromes of IGEs from one another.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, all patients with a clinical diagnosis of IGE were recruited at the outpatient epilepsy clinic at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, from 2008 to 2011. Demographic variables and relevant clinical and EEG variables were summarized descriptively. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi square and Fisher's exact tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  2190 patients with epilepsy were registered at our epilepsy clinic and 442 patients (20.2%) were diagnosed as having IGE. Age of seizure onset was 12 ± 7 years. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy was the most frequent syndrome, followed by epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures only and juvenile absence epilepsy. Epilepsy risk factors, physical examination, MRI and even EEG could not differentiate various syndromes of IGE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The key element in making the correct diagnosis of an IGE syndrome is obtaining a detailed clinical history. However, other than the seizure type(s) and age of onset, there are no any other distinctive features to distinguish these syndromes of IGEs from one another. Besides, sometimes these syndromes have overlapping features.
authors.affiliation: Neurosciences Research Center, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. aliasadipooya@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ali A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Asadi-Pooya
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emami
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sperling
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003241:Consanguinity; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000453:epidemiology; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020190:Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013226:Status Epilepticus / Q000453:epidemiology; D013577:Syndrome; D055815:Young Adult