Epilepsiile copilului de vârstă mică: aspecte clinice

Abstract

Actuality. Epilepsy (EP), one of the most common neurological diseases globally, is a disorder of the excitability of cortical neurons characterized by a lasting predisposition of the brain to generate epileptic seizures, as well as neurobiological, cognitive, psychological, social consequences. Aim of the study. The characteristic of the type of epileptic seizures in young children’s epilepsies for a better recognition of them with the aim of correct therapeutic approach. Material and methods. 21 children, aged between 1 month and 3 years, confirmed by the electroencephalographic method with various types of PE, were evaluated. Neurological examination – according to the Amiel-Tison method. Statistical methods used: t-student test and 95CI confidence interval. Results. From the 21 children supervised for various types of EP, the following types of epileptic seizures were detected: focal – 14 (67.7%; 95CI 56.41-76.99), generalized – 5 (23.8%; 95CI 14.51-33.09), unknown – 2 (9.5%; 95CI 3.0915.91). Among focal seizures: unilateral – 6 (42.9%), bilateral – 8 (57.1%). Easily recognizable regular seizures were associated with opercular movements – 3 (14.3%), masticators – 2 (9.5%), clonuses of an oral commissure – 3 (14.3%), ocular adversities – 2 (9.5%), pedaling – 3 (14.3%), hyperkinetic – 2 (9.5%), pelvic – 1 (4.8%), startling – 2 (9.5%), strains – 3 (14.3%). Seizures were associated with EEG correspondence in all cases. Conclusions. In most epilepsies of young children, epileptic seizures are focal, subtle, and difficult to recognize. Failure to timely recognize PE in children delays diagnosis, hence treatment, and tends to neuropsychiatric complications.