Specific Seizure Syndromes

A syndrome is a group of symptoms and signs associated with a specific disorder. Syndrome diagnosis helps in making decisions about the treatment, possible effects, and future outcome of the disorder and its management.

In two-thirds of children with seizures, the specific syndrome can be identified soon after clinical examination and testing. Of those that remain, about 30 percent will receive a specific syndrome diagnosis within two years.

• The disorder may progress from one syndrome to a second and, potentially, a third as the child ages; however, such cases are rare.

Syndromes of the neonatal and early childhood stages can be classified under the following headings:

Neonatal onset seizures (first 2 months of life)

• Neonatal seizures syndrome
• Benign neonatal seizures
• Benign familial neonatal convulsions
• Otahara syndrome

Infantile onset seizures (2 months to 1 year)

• Infantile spasms / West syndrome
• Tonic and atonic seizures
• Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
• Benign myoclonic epilepsy of infancy
• Severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy / Dravet syndrome
• Myoclonic-astatic syndrome
• Febrile convulsions

Early childhood onset seizures (toddlers ages 1 to 4)

• Benign rolandic epilepsy (benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes ( BCECT))
• Early onset occipital epilepsy
• Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy
• Familial lateral temporal lobe epilepsy
• Generalized epilepsies with febrile seizures plus
• Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy
• Hemiconvulsive-hemiplegia syndrome
• Epilepsy with myoclonic absences
• Epilepsy with continuous spike waves during slow-wave sleep
• Landau-Kleffner syndrome

With benign syndromes, children do not end up with multiple handicaps.