SIMILARITY BETWEEN FIRST SEIZURE AND RECURRENT SEIZURES IN CHILDREN

Background: The efficacy of anticonvulsants after a first seizure is uncertain; the more predictable the time and the type of recurrent seizure, the more preventable the probable events. This study was conducted to evaluate similarity of type and time of a first seizure and its recurrence in children.
Methods: 174 children with at least two separate seizures were taken into account.
Results: Overall in 90.5% the sleep-wake state at the second seizure was the same as the first one, while the seizure type was consistent from the first seizure to the second with 95.9% being the same.
Conclusion: This information should be helpful in 1) counseling parents after their child has had a first seizure, and 2) in answering the question whether treatment should be started in a child presenting with a first epileptic seizure.