Different Epilepsy Syndromes

Epilepsy comprises a number of distinct syndromes, each of which affects the life of the epileptic in different ways and requires different treatment strategies. Diagnosing a specific epileptic syndrome---instead of making a general diagnosis of "epilepsy"---requires medical professionals to assess all of the patient's neurological and behavioral symptoms, which can pose clinical difficulties. However, identifying the specific syndrome is the best way to understand the patient's prognosis and treatment options.

Causes

• Some epileptic seizures are easily explainable, while others have no known cause. Seizures with an unknown cause are known as idiopathic seizures. Seizures with a known cause are called symptomatic. Idiopathic seizures are usually easier to treat than symptomatic ones.

Specific Newborn Syndromes

• The forms of epilepsy experienced by most children are distinct from adult epilepsies. Neonatal convulsions, febrile convulsions and West Syndrome are some of the most common epileptic disorders affecting newborns and young children. These syndromes tend to be benign; most children outgrow them, or respond well to medications (e.g., steroids), and do not suffer significant neurological damage.

  Some doctors do not consider febrile convulsions to be epileptic in nature, because the seizures result from a high fever. By contrast, West syndrome is considered an epileptic syndrome for children, due to the distinct EEG readings during seizures. If left untreated, West syndrome can develop into an adult form of epilepsy known as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which affects children up to the age of eight and can severely harm developmental skills.

Epileptic Encephalopathies

• Epileptic encephalopathies are brain structure abnormalities that cause epileptic seizures in children or adults. These abnormalities may be located on one side of the brain, or both sides. Epilectic encephalopathies tend to be severe and difficult to treat; those with an early onset often abate or stop during adolescence, but their neurological and cognitive aftereffects can be serious.

Chronic Epilepsy Syndromes

• One of the most severe forms of symptomatic epilepsy is Rasmussen's syndrome (also known as Rasmussen's encephalitis), in which one side of the brain causes seizures on the other side of the body. Treatment can include neurotherapy or, in some cases, the removal of the epileptic hemisphere of the brain.

  Other chronic forms of epilepsy include temporal lobe epilepsy and frontal lobe epilepsy. The frontal lobe syndrome is the more violent of the two. These syndromes tend to be symptomatic; some have a genetic basis, while others are the result of lesions, tumors, structural abnormalities or head injuries. People who have either of these syndromes often require medicine or surgery to control their seizures.