Developmental vs. Epileptic Encephalopathies

Developmental disorders and epilepsy are quite common in pediatric patients. For many encephalopathies, there is a developmental component independent of the epileptic encephalopathy. Developmental delay may sometimes precede seizure onset. Co-morbidities e.g. cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability may be seen in epileptic children. In some conditions such as KCNQ2, STXBP1 encephalopathies, outcome is poor even though seizures stop.Epileptic activity itself contributes to severe cognitive and behavioral impairment above and beyond that expected from the underlying pathology and that these can worsen over time. There are some differentiating features between developmental and epileptic encephalopathies such as developmental encephalopathies may begin in utero or after birth. Epileptic encephalopathies can occur at any age and may have some remediable component such as choosing right vs wrong antiepileptic medications. We addressed some of developmental disorders in patients referred to our epilepsy center at Children’s Medical Center and discussed with them.

Keywords:

Epileptic encephalopathy , developmental encephalopathy , pediatric epilepsy center , KCNQ2 encephalopathy , STXPB1 encephalopathy