It has been well documented that there are co-occurring conditions with pediatric epilepsy. The following is a recent review of the literature as to “what to look out for” when your child is diagnosed with epilepsy.
- In a study that included 6635 children with epilepsy, Aaberg et al (2016) found that 78.3% of the children had one or more co-occurring disorders. These comorbidities included 55% medical disorders, 41% neurologic disorders, and 43% developmental/psychiatric disorders. In addition, children with complicated epilepsy (epilepsy with additional neurologic or developmental disorders) had higher overall levels of comorbidity than those with uncomplicated epilepsy.
- In another study of 119 children with epilepsy, Dagar et al (2020) found that 41% screened positive for depression on a self-report instrument. This study reported a strong correlation between anxiety and depression in participants with pediatric epilepsy.
- LaGrant et al (2020) also found a link between pediatric epilepsy and depression/anxiety, 25% of 1042 children had depression and/or anxiety.
- Dagar & Falcone (2020) found ADHD prevalence was 2.5 to 5.5 times higher in participants with epilepsy than those of the healthy participants.
- Record et al (2021) found most common co-occurring conditions with epilepsy was developmental delay at 56%, intellectual disability at 20%, and ADHD at 23%. There were also 7% of participants that reported autism as a comorbidity.
- Behavioral disorders have also been observed to co-occur with pediatric epilepsy. In a study of 50 participants, Elkarray et al (2021) concluded that 28% of the epileptic group studied were diagnosed with a behavioral disorder and another 14% were diagnosed with anxiety. Oppositional behavior was the most common diagnosis at 52%, followed by ADHD at 44%, and major depressive disorder at 18%.
As neuropsychologists, we treat the entire child. Therefore, if a child was diagnosed with epilepsy, treatment will focus on the neurological condition (i.e. epilepsy), however, also on possible co-occurring conditions. The aim is to always treat the ‘whole child’ and capture the entire clinical picture. Accurate diagnosis is the first step to determine appropriate treatment. Identifying all co-occurring conditions is critical in order to provide thorough and accurate treatment.
If you have any questions regarding your child, please contact our office.
Steven P. Greco, PhD, ABN
Board Certified, Neuropsycholoy
References
Aaberg, Kari Modalsi. (2016). Comorbidity and childhood epilepsy: A nationwide registry study. Pediatrics 138(3).
Dagar, Anjali. (2020). Screening for suicidality and its relation to undiagnosed psychiatric comorbidities in children and youth with epilepsy. Epilepsy &Behavior 113.
Dagar, Anjali & Falcone, Tatiana. (2020). Psychiatric comorbidities in pediatric epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior 113.
Elkarray, Rana A.Y. (2021). Prevalence of psychiatric and behavioral comorbidities in pediatric epilepsy. Scientific Journal Pediatrics, 5(4). 813-818.
LaGrant, Brian. (2020). Depression and anxiety in children with epilepsy and other chronic health conditions: National estimates of prevalence risk factors. Epilepsy & Behavior 103.
Record, E. Justine. (2021). Risk factors, etiologies, and comorbidities in urban pediatric epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior 115.