GENERALIZED IDIOPATHIC EPILEPSIES IN ADOL ESCENTS

Generalized idiopathic epilepsies starting between 12 and 18 years of age are mostly represented by juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, juvenile ab sence Epilepsy and grand-mal on awakening. The EEG and clinical descri ption of the seizures, the different epileptic syndromes with their th erapeutics, the prognosis and the familial forms with the molecular ge netic aspects are studied The importance of the history for the positi ve diagnosis is emphasized in order to display the often overlooked my oclonies occuring in the morning. Differential diagnosis concerns most ly absences which are sometimes difficult to separate from frontal sei zures, and in the case of first generalized tonico-clonic seizure, par tial epilepsy which needs further investigations, and the exceptional progressive myoclonic epilepsy which begins the same way, but has a to tally different prognosis.