RECURRENT SEIZURES IN METACHROMATIC LEUKODYSTROPHY

The unusual presentation of juvenile onset metachromatic leukodystroph y (MLD) and frequent complex partial seizures in a patient led us to p erform a retrospective study of 18 patients with MLD to identify the p revalence and type of recurrent seizures during the first 2 years of t he disease, Five of 17 patients (29%) had developed recurrent seizures within 12 months of the onset of symptoms, and one patient was lost t o follow-up, By 24 months after onset of symptoms, 5 patients were los t to follow-up, and 6 of the remaining 13 patients (46%) had developed recurrent seizures, In all, 7 patients, 4 with late infantile-onset a nd 3 with juvenile-onset disease, developed recurrent seizures, Four p atients, including 3 with juvenile-onset disease had complex partial s eizures, We conclude that recurrent seizures are common in MLD and may occur at any stage of the disease, particularly in patients with juve nile onset, Generalized seizures are more frequent in patients with la te infantile-onset, whereas partial seizures are more common in those with juvenile-onset disease, (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc, All rig hts reserved.