ONE DRUG FOR CHILDHOOD GRAND MAL: MEDICAL AUDIT FOR THREE-YEAR REMISSIONS

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Abstract
A comparative study was made of monotherapy for grand mal seizures among 4 groups of children between 3 and 14 yrs of age. The 1st choice anticonvulsants were phenobarbitone (N = 159), phenytoin (N = 185), carbamazepine (N = 178) and sodium valproate (N = 63). The proportions in each group with a 3-yr remission of seizures were, respectively, 22, 34, 40 and 16%. The results were better for children with primary grand mal (25, 39, 45 and 21%) and were worse for those with secondary grand mal (3, 21, 25 and 4%), respectively. No reduction in seizure frequency was obtained in 119 of the children and for them there is an urgent need for new and more effective anticonvulsants.