Question
What is the incidence rate of pediatric epilepsy?
Answer
The incidence rate of pediatric epilepsy is relatively high, with a significant impact on health. The physiological characteristics of newborns, as well as changes in the nervous and fluid systems, result in clinical features of pediatric epilepsy that differ from those in adults.
Gender, Age of Onset, and Types of Recurrence
The incidence rate among male children is slightly higher than that among female children, with the highest occurrence in infancy. The age of onset and types of recurrence are closely related; for example, infantile spasms often occur within one year, motor recurrences within six years, absence recurrences between one to eight years, and the onset age of other types of epilepsy is mostly under ten years. Symptoms of neonatal epilepsy are often concealed and present with focal recurrences, while older children may exhibit more pronounced and generalized convulsions.
Recurrence Manifestations
The incidence rates of various types of epilepsy recurrences vary with age and are closely related to the maturity level of the central nervous system. Clinical manifestations of neonatal epilepsy are often stereotypical repetitive movements, often accompanied by abnormal eye movements.
Guidelines
Given the characteristics of pediatric epilepsy, parents should always be vigilant about their child’s condition, actively seek treatment, and reduce triggering factors.