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Epilepsy.
Journal article

Epilepsy.

  • Bastos F University College London National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lausanne, Child Neurology and Neurorehabilitation Unit, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
  • Cross JH University College London National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: h.cross@ucl.ac.uk.
  • 2020-09-26
Published in:
  • Handbook of clinical neurology. - 2020
Children
Comorbidities and developmental conditions
Epilepsy
Epilepsy classification
Epilepsy treatment
English Epilepsy is considered a disease characterized by an underlying predisposition to seizures as well as neurobiologic, cognitive, psychologic, and social consequences. It is the most frequent chronic neurologic condition of childhood, affecting 0.5%-1% of children worldwide. It comprises a variety of disorders with many different etiologies, consequently affecting management and outcome. Although the great majority of children have epilepsies that are self-limited and have a good prognosis, it is nevertheless very well recognized that epileptic activity (be it seizures or interictal discharges) can be particularly deleterious to the developing brain acting as a disruptor to normal developmental function. Indeed, epilepsy and neurocognitive and behavioral disorders very frequently coexist, and it can be challenging to understand if there is causality or if they are all the reflection of the underlying brain disorder. Hence, accurate phenotypic and etiologic diagnosis is of utmost importance as it will not only guide decision making with regard to choice of treatment but also enable management of expectations concerning outcome. The current chapter aims to provide a general overview of the fast evolving and vast field of childhood epilepsy from its definition and epidemiology, to its diagnostic challenges, management, and outcome.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/126781
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