Abstract Details

Title School Performance and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Childhood Absence Epilepsy: A Danish Cohort Study

Topic Child Neurology and Developmental Neurology

Presentation(s) P6 - Poster Session 6 (11:45 AM-12:45 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 6-009

Objective To determine school performance and psychiatric comorbidity in children with childhood absence epilepsy.

Background Childhood absence epilepsy is considered a benign epilepsy but affected children may have unrecognized cognitive and psychiatric problems.

Design/Methods We reviewed the medical records in children with ICD-10 codes for idiopathic generalized epilepsy before 18 years of age, and pediatric neurologists confirmed the International League Against Epilepsy criteria for childhood absence epilepsy were met. Control groups were the general pediatric population or children with non-neurological chronic disease. Outcomes were from nationwide and population-based registers on school performance and psychiatric comorbidity. We compared the mean grade point average using linear regression and estimated hazard ratios (HR) using Cox regression for the other outcomes. Analyses were adjusted for the child's sex, and year of birth, and parental highest education, receipt of cash benefits or early disability pension.

Results We included 114 children with childhood absence epilepsy with a median age at onset of 5.9 years (interquartile range = 4.5-7.3 years). Compared with both population controls and non-neurological chronically ill children, children with childhood absence epilepsy had increased hazard of special needs education (HR = 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.8-4.1, p < 0.0001), lower grade point average at 9th grade by 1.7 grade points (95% CI = -2.5 to -1.0, p < 0.001), increased ADHD medicine use (HR = 4.4, 95% CI = 2.7-7.2, p < 0.001), increased sleep medicine use (HR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.7-4.3, p < 0.001), and increased psychiatry visits (HR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1-4.0, p = 0.03).

Conclusions

Children with childhood absence epilepsy have increased psychiatric comorbidity and a considerable proportion of these children receive special needs education in primary/secondary school, albeit insufficient to normalize their considerably lower grade point average in the 9th grade.

Authors/Disclosures
Magnus Spangsberg Boesen, MD (Herlev Hospital) PRESENTER	Dr. Spangsberg Boesen has nothing to disclose.
Malene Landbo Børresen	No disclosure on file
Soren K. Christensen, MD (Rigshospitalet)	Mr. Christensen has nothing to disclose.
Amalie Klein-Petersen	No disclosure on file
Sahla El Mahdaoui, MD (Glostrup Hospital)	Dr. El Mahdaoui has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Speaker's honoraria with Merck.
Malini Sagar (Herlev Hospital)	Malini Sagar has nothing to disclose.
Emilie Schou (Rigshospitalet Glostrup)	Emilie Schou has nothing to disclose.
Anna Eltvedt	Anna Eltvedt has nothing to disclose.
Melita Cacic Hribljan (Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark)	Melita Cacic Hribljan has nothing to disclose.
Alfred Peter Born (Rigshospitalet)	Alfred Peter Born has nothing to disclose.
Peter Uldall	Peter Uldall has nothing to disclose.
Lau Thygesen (National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark)	No disclosure on file
Maria Jose Miranda	Maria Jose Miranda has nothing to disclose.

��ɫ��

��ɫ��