Abstract

GUILLEN-PINTO, Daniel et al. Clinical characteristics of epileptic children seen at Cayetano Heredia Hospital. Rev Neuropsiquiatr [online]. 2018, vol.81, n.4, pp.217-225. ISSN 0034-8597.  http://dx.doi.org/10.20453/rnp.v81i4.3436.

Epilepsy is the main cause of neurological clinical visits in Peruvian children. However, in our country, there is little information on its clinical and epidemiological characterizes. Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics of children with epilepsy seen at the Cayetano Heredia Hospital, between 2010 and 2016. Material and Methods: A descriptive retrospective observational study was carried out, based on the clinical records of children under 14 years old with diagnosis of epilepsy, with clinical follow-up, electroencephalography and neuroimaging. Results: One hundred ninety-three patients were included. In 47.2% (91/193), the first seizure occurred before the one year of age; the etiology was secondary in 59.3% (54/91), with the main causes being perinatal events and cerebral malformations. Primary etiologies were more frequent in the children who started haviing seizures after one year of age. Generalized seizures ocurred in 64.2% (124/193) without differences by age groups. In 69.9% (135/193) seizures were controlled with a single drug while 15% (29/193) were refractory to treatment. Comorbidity occurred in 68,4% (132/193), with delays in psychomotor development, intellectual disability and cerebral palsy being frequent. Conclusions: Most children had their first seizures before the first year of age, usually with a secondary cause. In older children, the primary epilepsies were more prevalent. Monotherapy controlled the majority of children, but a percentage of refractoriness to the treatment was registered. Comorbidities were very frequent.

Keywords : Epilepsy; children; treatment; comorbidity; etiology; Peru.

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