Doctors named the causes of epilepsy in children and adolescents

The main factors contributing to the development of epilepsy in children and adolescents are genetic mutations, congenital abnormalities of the nervous system, intellectual disabilities, as well as the consequences of infections suffered during pregnancy and complications during childbirth. This was reported in The Lancet magazine.

"We found that mortality in epilepsy remains consistently high, especially in groups of young patients and those with concomitant vascular and neurodegenerative diseases," the article says.

According to the study, which involved 61,375 people, patients under the age of 20 had a 30-50-fold higher risk of death from epilepsy than their peers without a diagnosis. The main cause of death in this group is sudden death, most often associated with generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which are considered the most dangerous and require early detection and strict control.

In addition, the study showed that the structure of the causes of epilepsy changes with age. In young patients, the disease often occurs against a background of congenital and genetic factors, whereas in older people, its development is usually associated with strokes, dementia, and vascular disorders. This is also reflected in differences in the causes of death: older patients are more likely to experience vascular complications, while younger patients experience the effects of seizures themselves.

Despite significant updates to treatment regimens, including the transition from older drugs with an inducing effect to modern anticonvulsants, there was no overall downward trend in mortality.

The authors of the article noted that replacing medications can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in the elderly. However, for young patients, the main thing is to achieve the complete disappearance of seizures.

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