ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUG EFFICACY IN CERTAIN GENETIC TYPES OF CHILDHOOD EPILEPSY

Objective: we aimed to study antiepileptic drug efficacy in achieving seizure remission in certain genetic types of childhood epilepsy.

Materials and methods. The authors studied 240 patients aged from 1 month to 18 years with epilepsy between 2019 and 2023. Children with genetic forms of epilepsy accounted for 69 (28,8%). In this group, remission was achieved in 13 (18,8%) of patients. Among them, there were 13 children (%) with certain forms of genetic epilepsy aged 5 to 4 (average 10 ± years), with 7 (53,8%) being girls and 6 (46,2%) being boys. There were 7 (53,8%) children with generalized epilepsy, including 5 (30,8%) cases of childhood absentee epilepsy. 5 (38,5%) patients had focal epilepsy, all of them had self-controlling epilepsy with central temporal adhesions. The study included one patient with an unspecified type of epilepsy (7.7%).

Results. The duration of remission ranged from 6 months to 7 years 2 months (me – 3 years 8 months). 11 children (84,6%) were in stable remission for 1 year or longer. Complete clinical electroencephalographic remission was observed in 7 (53,9%) cases. In other cases, regional and diffuse epileptiform activity was recorded in 3 (75,0%) and 1 (25,0%) case, respectively. Remission was achieved in 5 children (38,5%) who were taking levetiracetam, 6 subjects (46,1%) – valproic acid, 1 person – carbamazepine (7,7%). Persistent remission was registered in 4 children (36,3%) who were prescribed levetiracetam, 5 children (45,4%) taking valproic acid and 1 person (9 %) who was administered carbamazepine. 1 person (7,7%) was in stable remission after discontinuation of the antiepileptic drug.

Conclusion. Most of the children with certain types of genetic epilepsy under the treatment with antiepileptic drugs were in stable seizure remission. More than half of those observed were in a complete clinical electroencephalographic remission. Predominantly, seizure remission occurred with the administration of valproic acid and levetiracetam, with the same frequency in generalized and focal types of genetic epilepsy.

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