Intravenous methylprednisolone for intractable childhood epilepsy
| Autor: | Kholoud H. Almaabdi, Areej A. Althubiti, Sara N. Mulla, Zainab H. Alsharef, Rawan O. Alshehri, Mohammed M. Jan, Dareen AlShaer, Nouf S. Alfaidi |
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| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: |
Childhood epilepsy
Male Pediatrics medicine.medical_specialty Adolescent Status epilepticus Methylprednisolone Epilepsy Developmental Neuroscience Refractory Seizures medicine Weaning Humans Child Retrospective Studies Intravenous methylprednisolone business.industry medicine.disease Treatment Outcome Neurology Anesthesia Child Preschool Pediatrics Perinatology and Child Health Etiology Administration Intravenous Anticonvulsants Female Neurology (clinical) medicine.symptom business medicine.drug Follow-Up Studies |
| Zdroj: | Pediatric neurology. 50(4) |
| ISSN: | 1873-5150 |
| Popis: | Background Steroids have been used for the treatment of certain epilepsy types, such as infantile spasms; however, the use in the treatment of other intractable epilepsies has received limited study. We report our experience with intravenous methylprednisolone in children with epilepsy refractory to multiple antiepileptic drugs. Methods A series of consecutive children were analyzed retrospectively. Patients with infantile spasms, progressive degenerative, or metabolic disorders were excluded. Results Seventeen children aged 2-14 (mean 5.3) years were included. Associated cognitive and motor deficits were recognized in 82%. Most children (88%) had daily seizures and 13 (76%) were admitted previously with status epilepticus. The epilepsy was cryptogenic (unknown etiology) in 47% and the seizures were mixed in 41%. Intravenous methylprednisolone was given at 15 mg/kg per day followed by a weaning dose of oral prednisolone for 2-8 weeks (mean 3 weeks). Children were followed for 6-24 months (mean 18). Six (35%) children became completely seizure free; however, three of them later developed recurrent seizures. At 6 months posttreatment, improved seizure control was noted in 10 (59%) children. Children with mixed seizures were more likely to have a favorable response than those with one seizure type (49% vs 31%, P = 0.02). No major side effects were noted, and 35% of the parents reported improvements in their child's alertness and appetite. Conclusion Add-on steroid treatment for children with intractable epilepsy is safe and may be effective in some children when used in a short course. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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