Clinical pattern of newly-diagnosed seizures in Saudi Arabia: a prospective study of 263 children

The clinical patterns, including history, examination, and electroencephalo graphic (EEG) and computed tomography (CT) findings were examined prospecti vely in 263 children (153 boys, 110 girls) with newly diagnosed recurrent s eizures. The overall mean age was 3.2 years, with a range of 0.05-13 years. The age of onset was within the first year of life in 128 (48.7%) of the p atients. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (14.8%), febrile seizures (9.1%) a nd developmental delay (4.6%) were the predominant signs in this age group. Consanguinity of the parents was present in 29.7% cases. The main EEG abno rmalities were epileptiform activity, which was generalized in 133 (50.6%) and focal in 80 (30.4%). Other abnormalities included slow wave activity in 41 (15.6%) and hypsarrhythmia in 3 (1.1%). The main seizure types were gen eralized in 60.4% and partial in 32.7%. The types of epileptic syndromes in cluded localization-related (28.1%), generalized (23.2%), undetermined (37. 4%) and (special) syndromes 11.4%. The cranial CT findings were normal in 6 0.5%, and the predominant abnormality was cerebral atrophy in 25.3%. The pa ttern of seizure types and the peak presentation in early childhood are com parable to those in western reports.