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Factors affecting epilepsy prognosis in patients with tuberous sclerosis

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Abstract

Purpose

We aimed to determine the characteristics of epileptic seizures that significantly affect the cognitive functions of 83 patients followed with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), their resistance to treatment and risk factors causing this resistance.

Materials-methods

In order to determine the prognosis, the seizure-free/seizure-controlled group and the group with refractory seizures were compared. In addition, risk factors affecting cognitive functions in the patients were determined.

Results

There was a statistical significance between the presence of a history of seizures in the neonatal period, the age of onset of seizures being less than 2 years of age, autism, status epilepticus, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), presence of infantile spasm, generalization of the electroencephalography (EEG) findings, the number of tubers in cerebral imaging being more than three and refractory seizures (p < 0.05). Statistically significant relationship was found between presence of a history of seizures in the neonatal period, the age of onset of seizures, autism, LGS, presence of infantile spasm, presence of status epilepticus history, history of using more than three antiepileptic drugs, generalization of EEG findings, presence of SEGA in cerebral imaging, number of tubers being more than three and the patient’s mental retardation (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

In logistic regression analysis, the age of the seizure onset being less than 2 years of age, the presence of autism and number of tubers being more than three in cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are determined to be the risk factors that most likely to increase the seizures to be more resistant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey

    Gülen Gül Mert, Şakir Altunbaşak, Özlem Hergüner, Faruk İncecik, Hilal Cansever Övetti & Neslihan Özcan

  2. Department of Psychology, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey

    Duygu Kuşçu

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey

    İlker Ünal

Authors
  1. Gülen Gül Mert
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  2. Şakir Altunbaşak
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  3. Özlem Hergüner
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  4. Faruk İncecik
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  5. Hilal Cansever Övetti
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  6. Neslihan Özcan
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  7. Duygu Kuşçu
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  8. İlker Ünal
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gülen Gül Mert.

Ethics declarations

On June 1, 2018, under the decree no 72, ethic committee approval of the study from Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine Non-Interventional Clinical Trials Ethics Committee and consent from the families of the patients to participate in the study were obtained

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Gül Mert, G., Altunbaşak, Ş., Hergüner, Ö. et al. Factors affecting epilepsy prognosis in patients with tuberous sclerosis. Childs Nerv Syst 35, 463–468 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-019-04066-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-019-04066-7

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