title: [Classification of idiopathic generalised epilepsies in patients over 16 years of age].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Idiopathic generalised epilepsies (IGE) are a set of electroclinical syndromes with different phenotypes. Our aim is to analyse those phenotypes in patients over 16 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective analysis of a series of patients with IGE. They were classified as childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), juvenile absence epilepsy (JAE), juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), epilepsy with tonic-clonic seizures only (TCSE), epilepsy with eyelid myoclonias and absences (EMA) and pure photogenic epilepsy (PE).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 308 patients, the majority females (56.8%), in our study. JME was the most prevalent (40.9%), followed by TCSE (30%), JAE (10%), EMA (8.7%), CAE (7.7%) and PE (1.6%). The types of seizures presented by the most patients were tonic-clonic (89.6%), myoclonic (45.4%), absence (31.4%), reflex seizures (13.3%), eyelid myoclonias (12.6%), non-epileptic psychogenic seizures (3.6%) and status epilepticus (1.9%). They all had generalised spike-and-wave discharges in the electroencephalogram (EEG). 19.2% presented asymmetrical discharges and 28.2% showed a photoparoxysmal response. We observed differences between syndromes in polytherapy (p < 0.0001), withdrawal of therapy (p = 0.01) and being seizure-free beyond the age of 50 (p = 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  JME was the most frequent. Generalised tonic-clonic seizures were the type of seizures presented by the most patients, followed by myoclonic, absent and reflex seizures. The EEG showed a photoparoxysmal response in over a quarter of the patients, and one in five displayed asymmetrical anomalies. Differences were observed according to the syndrome in polytherapy, persistence of seizures and withdrawal of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Espana.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sala-Padro
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Espana.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toledo
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Espana.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santamarina
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Espana.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Cuevas
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Espana.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raspall-Chaure
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Espana.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sueiras-Gil
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Espana.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quintana
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Espana.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salas-Puig
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000145:classification* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants