Adult Lennox Gastaut Syndrome

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a severe epileptic condition characterized by frequent multiple types of seizures and gradual mental deterioration. The usual age of onset is between 1 to 8 years of age. Up to 5 percent of children with epilepsy are diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Adult Onset

• Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is very rarely is diagnosed in adulthood. Occasionally it is diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 20, when further deterioration occurs in someone who already has epilepsy. Researchers theorize that adults diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut may have been incorrectly diagnosed earlier.

Most Common Seizures

• The most common seizures in Lennox-Gastaut in both children and adults are atonic, commonly called "drop attacks," where the person falls down because the muscles suddenly lose strength.

Additional Seizures

• The patient with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome also suffers from many other types of seizures, and the disorder is very difficult to control. There may be violent jerking of one or more limbs, partial or total loss of consciousness, episodes of mental distance and severe status epilepticus that requires hospitalization.

Mental Disabilities

• All children with this syndrome have moderate to severe learning disabilities, and this may be apparent before the seizures begin. Nearly all adults with Lennox-Gastaut have continuing mental disabilities including language difficulty and impaired learning ability.

Prognosis

• About 80 percent of adults with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome continue to experience seizures, according to the Infantile Spasms Resource website. About half are completely dependent on family for care or live in a residential treatment center.