Evaluating Children who Seize During Sleep

Abstract

<P>Seizures are a common neurologic problem in childhood, affecting 4% to 10% of children before 16 years. Average annual rate of new cases of epilepsy (incidence) is approximately 5 to 7 cases per 10,000 children from birth to 15 years. The prevalence of epilepsy (defined as two or more unprovoked seizures more than 24 hours apart in a child at least 1 month of age) in children increases from 2 to 3 per 1,000 at 7 years to 4 to 6 per 1,000 at 11 to 15 years. Additionally, in any given year, 5 of 1,000 children 0 to 16 years have epilepsy.</P> <H4>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</H4> <P>Madeleine Grigg-Damberger, MD, is Professor of Neurology, Associate Director of University of New Mexico Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory, and Medical Director, Pediatric Sleep Medicine Services, University of New Mexico Sleep Disorders Center.</P> <P>Address correspondence to: Madeleine Grigg-Damberger, MD, 915 Camino de Salud, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001; fax 505 272-6692; or e-mail: <a href="mailto:mgriggd@salud.unm.edu">mgriggd@salud.unm.edu</a>.</P> <P>Dr. Grigg-Damberger has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: GlaxoSmithKline; Johnson & Johnson; Konkinklijke Phillips Electronics; and Sanofi Aventis: Shareholder.</P> <H4>EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES</H4> <OL> <LI>Discuss the features that delineate nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy from sleep terrors, sleepwalking, or nightmares.</LI> <LI>Determine recently identified comorbidities found to be associated with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes.</LI> <LI>Review the association between interictal epileptiform discharges and language regression and autism in children.</LI> </OL>