Characteristics of a large population of patients with refractory epilepsy attending tertiary referral centers in Italy |
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| Authors: | Veriano Alexandre Jr Giuseppe Capovilla Cinzia Fattore Valentina Franco Antonio Gambardella Renzo Guerrini Francesca La Briola Marianna Ladogana Eleonora Rosati Luigi Maria Specchio Salvatore Striano Emilio Perucca |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Neurology IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy;2. Hospital of Clinics, Ribeir?o Preto School of Medicine, University of S?o Paulo, Ribeir?o Preto, Brazil;3. Epilepsy Center, Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, C. Poma Hospital, Mantova, Italy;4. Clinical Pharmacology Unit, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy;5. Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro, Italy;6. Pediatric Neurology Unit and Laboratories, Children’s Hospital A. Meyer, University of Florence, Florence, Italy;7. IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy;8. Department of Medicine, Surgery, Dentistry, University of Milan, Division of Neurology 2, San Paolo Hospital, Milan, Italy;9. Epilepsy Center, Neurology Hospital Amaducci, University of Bari, Bari, Italy;10. 3rd Neurology Division and Epilepsy Center, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy;11. Neurology Hospital, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy;12. Epilepsy Center, Federico II University, Napoli, Italy;13. Full list of SOPHIE Study Group collaborators in Table S1. |
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| Abstract: | The characteristics of 1,124 consecutive adults and children with refractory epilepsy attending 11 tertiary referral centers in Italy were investigated at enrollment into a prospective observational study. Among 933 adults (age 16–86 years), the most common syndromes were symptomatic (43.7%) and cryptogenic (39.0%) focal epilepsies, followed by idiopathic (8.1%) and cryptogenic/symptomatic generalized (6.2%) epilepsies. The most common syndrome among 191 children was symptomatic focal epilepsy (35.1%), followed by cryptogenic focal (18.8%), cryptogenic/symptomatic generalized (18.3%), undetermined whether focal or generalized (16.8%), and idiopathic generalized (7.3%). Primarily and secondarily generalized tonic–clonic seizures were reported in 27.8% of adults and 16.8% of children. The most commonly reported etiologies were mesial temporal sclerosis (8.0%) and disorders of cortical development (6.2%) in adults, and disorders of cortical development (14.7%) and nonprogressive encephalopathies (6.8%) in children. More than three‐fourths of subjects in both age groups were on antiepileptic drug (AED) polytherapy. |
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| Keywords: | Epilepsy Drug resistance Clinical features Epidemiology |
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