Absence of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies in childhood epilepsies

Glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies are present in some patients with th erapy-resistant epilepsy. The authors measured glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies in an unselected population of 114 children with different types of epilepsy. Three children with temporal lobe epilepsy and six children w ith various other types of epilepsy had intractable epilepsy. None of the c hildren tested positive for glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies. The stu dy suggests that glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody testing cannot be rec ommended in unselected cases of childhood epilepsy. (C) 1999 by Elsevier Sc ience Inc. All rights reserved.