ETIOLOGY OF EPILEPSIES IN CHILDREN BY CONSIDERING CASE HISTORIES IN COMPARISON WITH A CONTROL-GROUP

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • review article
    • Vol. 46  (2) , 43-60
Abstract
To clarify the etiology of epileptic illnesses in children a detailed questionnaire was prepared, with questions on genetic factors and the possibility of pre-, peri- and postnatal injury. The questionnaire was filled out by the parents of 422 epileptic children and those of 150 healthy control children of the same age. The differences were statistically calculated by the .CHI.2 test, small values being corrected according to Yates. Hereditary factors were found in 10.2% of all patients, ranging from 5.6%-13.5% for the various seizure types (control group: 0.6%). A high rate of hereditary afflictions was found even in those types of seizure which are considered predominantly symptomatic myoclonic-astatic convulsions: 13.5%, focal attacks: 11.2%). The significance of some exogenous factors, e.g., illnesses during pregnancy, prematurity, birth complications, was statistically confirmed in some instances for all types, in other instances only for certain types of seizure. As regards other factors, whose causative role has hitherto been considered proven or at least very probable, no differences were found between patients and controls (e.g., protracted labor, uterine inertia, coiling of the umbilical cord). Exogenous injuries were most often demonstrable in children with myoclonic-astatic convulsions and least often in those with absences. An absolute dividing line can no longer be drawn between genetic and symptomatic epilepsies; in many cases the exogenous influence merely serves as a precipitating factor for a genetic epilepsy.