Complications
All types of absence seizure, including childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), have been associated with learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and developmental delay.[70][71]
The presence of learning disability or cognitive impairment at time of diagnosis is predictive of this complication.[72] The presence of absence seizure at time of the first recognised seizure increases risk for cognitive difficulties compared with other seizure types at epilepsy onset.[73] It is unclear whether seizure control with drug treatment improves cognitive function.[74][75]
In general, patients with epilepsy are at increased risk for accidental injuries.
Soft-tissue lesions are most common, followed by more concerning injuries including submersion injuries, burns, fractures, head injuries, dental injuries, and motor vehicle accidents.[65][66] In general, accidental injuries are less frequent with absence seizures than with other types of seizures.
Status epilepticus is defined as either 5 minutes or more of continuous seizure activity, or two or more discrete seizures between which there is incomplete recovery of consciousness.[67]
Absence (non-convulsive) status epilepticus has been reported in 5.8% to 9.4% of patients with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), 20% with juvenile absence epilepsy (JAE), and 6.7% of those with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME).[68] Tonic-clonic status epilepticus is exceedingly rare.[68]
This refers to the phenomenon of sudden, unexpected, unexplained death in people with epilepsy with no obvious cause on post-mortem examination. SUDEP may be linked to poor seizure control; seizure freedom, particularly freedom from generalised tonic-clonic seizure, is strongly associated with decreased SUDEP risk.[76]
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