Overview
Childhood Absence Epilepsy (also called petit mal epilepsy) is characterized by very frequent (several to many per day) absence seizures in an otherwise healthy child. This type of seizure can greatly interfere with a child's ability to learn and play, and can lead to higher injury rates.
Typical Absence Seizure (Petit Mal)
A typical absence (petit mal) seizure begins with an abrupt, sudden stop of a child's activities, followed by a blank stare. The child then abruptly returns to what he / she was doing before the seizure, often without any memory or knowledge that the seizure has happened.
These seizures are usually brief in duration, typically lasting around 5-30 seconds. The child has impairment of consciousness with or without other movements, followed by an abrupt return to baseline function, which often occurs in high frequency and is often precipitated by hyperventilation.
The electroencephalogram (EEG) usually demonstrates 3 Hz bilateral, synchronous, symmetrical spike-waves pattern with normal background activity.
Incidence / Onset / Remission Rates
Childhood Absence Epilepsy (CAE) occurs in 10% to 15% of all children with epilepsy with an annual incidence of 6.3 to 8 / 100,000 in children under 15 years of age. Females are more affected than males.
Epilepsy onset is typically between the ages of 4 to 8 with a peak incidence of 6 to 7 years. CAE does not start after age 13. The long-term remission rates for absence epilepsy range from 21 to 89%. This wide-reported range likely resulted from inconsistent and variable study inclusion criteria, differing methods, variable follow-up lengths and different outcome definitions.
Twenty percent of young adults with CAE had an injury during an absence seizure. The risk of accidental injury resulting from an absence seizure has been estimated to be 3% per person year.
Risk of Generalized Tonic Clonic (or Grand Mal) Seizures
Occasionally children with CAE experience generalized tonic clonic seizures (also known as GTCs or grand mal seizures).
GTCs begin with a loss of consciousness, followed by a sudden and sharp stiffening of all the muscles (tonic phase), which is then followed by convulsive movements of the whole body (clonic phase). GTCs usually last less than 3 minutes and are followed by a deep sleep and slow return to baseline activities.
Goals of Drug Therapy
Related Links
For More Information
For more information about the Childhood Absence Epilepsy (CAE) study, contact the Division of Neurology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 513-636-4222.
