Genetic Bases for Childhood Epilepsy Foster Better Treatments

Childhood epilepsy may have improved treatment and care when its genetic causes are identified.

Childhood epilepsy may have improved treatment and care when its genetic causes are identified as per a study presented at the annual conference of the European Society Of Human Genetics.

Epilepsy is a common non-communicable neurological disorder, defined by the recurrence of seizures, due to bursts of electrical activity in the brain. It affects more than 50 million people worldwide.

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Epilepsy or seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain and seen fairly commonly in children. Symptoms can be highly variable and parents should seek prompt medical advice to treat the condition

‘Childhood epilepsy may have improved treatment and care when its genetic causes are identified. ’

Recurrent seizures often comprise of brief episodes of involuntary movement of a part of the body (partial) or the entire body (generalized) with/without loss of consciousness and control of bowel or bladder function.

Most childhood-onset epilepsies are known to be caused by genetic changes. However, the exact cause for this is unknown. The present study anticipates that recognizing the genetic changes of epilepsy may aid in designing the tailored treatment that can be targeted to their specific genetic alteration.

Genetic Cause for Epilepsy

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Seizures or epilepsy during pregnancy can be fatal for both the mother and child and needs urgent medical intervention. The reasons are often unknown.

The study team analyzed 290 children born between 2006-2011. The children had a diagnosis of epilepsy or presented with high fever along with seizures (both prolonged and clustering febrile seizures). They were followed up in 2015 and underwent genetic testing after obtaining informed consent.

“We found a genetic cause in half of those tested and also that half of those again could receive a tailored treatment. We hope that drug companies and the scientific community will be able to produce new drugs or repurpose existing ones that may be being used to treat entirely unrelated conditions to improve precision treatment possibilities for those for whom this is currently not available,” says Dr. Allan Bayat, MD, a consultant in pediatric neurology at the Danish Epilepsy Centre, Dianalund, Denmark.

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Fits or convulsions or Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, involuntary seizures and is described as a chronic neurological disorder

Moreover, the study suggests that identifying a genetic cause helps in avoiding the potentially harmful treatments and unnecessary diagnostic tests. The study further plans to continue their work to find a genetic explanation for epilepsy.

“Getting a genetic diagnosis is of great importance for the children and the families. It provides an explanation and certainty, and it enables a more targeted genetic counseling, including knowledge about the prognosis and recurrence risk. Furthermore, it allows the subject and families to enter gene-specific networks of families with the same genetic condition,” says, Dr. Bayat.

Sleep Disorders Associated with Epilepsy
Epilepsy and sleep disorders have a profound effect on each other. Epileptic seizures can disturb sleep; sleep disorders like sleep apnea, RLS can aggravate seizures.

Source-Medindia