Clinical characteristics of epilepsy and its risk factors in neurofibromatosis type 1: A single-center study

Areum Shin, Jun Chul Byun, Su Kyeong Hwang, Soonhak Kwon, Yun Jeong Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the clinical characteristics and risk factors of epilepsy in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) at a tertiary center. Methods: The medical records of 103 children diagnosed with NF1 from February 2009 to July 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic features, NF1-related features, seizure characteristics, treatment outcomes, and electroencephalography and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were compared between patients with and without epilepsy. Results: Among the 103 patients (median age, 11.5 years; age range, 1.0 to 34.8), 14 (13.6%) had epilepsy. The median age of seizure onset was 5.8 years (range, 1.1 to 18.9). Focal and generalized seizures were observed in nine (64.3%) and six (42.9%) patients, respectively. Five patients (35.7%) had a history of status epilepticus and one of them died of it. Two patients (14.3%) had drug-resistant epilepsy. On brain MRI obtained at the time of seizure onset, seven (50%) patients had unidentified bright objects and three (21.4%) had other structural abnormalities. Learning disability (odds ratio [OR], 4.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 17.5) and a family history of epilepsy (OR, 39.7; 95% CI, 3.78 to 416.53), but not structural abnormalities, were significant risk factors for epilepsy. Conclusion: Epilepsy was more common in NF1 patients than in the general population. NF1 patients with epilepsy had various seizure types, but exhibited relatively good outcomes. The types of brain abnormalities were not significantly different between patients with and without epilepsy. Our results suggest that mechanisms other than structural brain abnormalities should be considered epileptogenic in NF1 patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-7
Number of pages7
JournalAnnals of Child Neurology
Volume29
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2021

Keywords

  • Epilepsy
  • Learning disabilities
  • Neurofibromatosis 1
  • Risk factors

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