Unprovoked Seizures and Epilepsies in Kurayoshi, Japan

Abstract

We studied the prevalence and clinical courses of patients with unprovoked seizures aged 0–14 years in Kurayoshi, Japan, from January 1–December 31, 1993. We reviewed the medical records of four hospitals, which covered most of the pediatric patients with neurologic problems in the area. The number of patients who received any form of medical care due to unprovoked seizures was 86 (4.61/1000). Of the 60 patients in whom it was more than 2 years from the onset, 49 (82%) had been seizure-free for more than 1 year. Eleven of the 86 patients did not become seizure-free despite more than 2 years of antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment, and nine of these 11 patients had neurologic abnormalities. The number of patients with idiopathic or cryptogenic epilepsies and unprovoked seizures was 49. Of the 33 patients who underwent more than 2 years of treatment, all except one had been seizure-free for more than 1 year. Seven children were of unclassified epilepsies characterized by normal interictal electroencephalogram (EEG) findings, generalized clinical seizures, no underlying neurologic condition, and an early age of onset (i.e., before 4 years of age). Therefore, there could be benign epileptic syndromes in the first 4 years.