UpToDate® Content

Seizures and epilepsy in children: Initial treatment and monitoring

UpToDate

Children with epilepsy, particularly infants, differ from adults not only in the clinical manifestations of their seizures, but also in the presence of unique electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns, etiologies, and response to antiseizure medications. The immature brain, particularly in the neonate and young infant, differs from the adult brain in the basic mechanisms of epileptogenesis and propagation of seizures. It is more prone to seizures, but seizures are more apt to disappear as the child grows.

Evaluation and management of the first seizure in adults

UpToDate

Seizures are a common occurrence, affecting an estimated 8 to 10 percent of the population over a lifetime. Seizures account for 1 to 2 percent of all emergency department visits, and approximately one-quarter of these will be a first seizure.

The differential diagnosis and clinical features of seizures and the diagnostic evaluation of the first seizure in adults are reviewed here. Other paroxysmal events that can mimic seizure in adults, including syncope, convulsive syncope, migraine, transient ischemic attack, and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, are reviewed separately.