Cumulative Epilepsy Risk Higher After Neonatal Seizures
MONDAY, Feb. 24, 2025 -- The highest risk for epilepsy after neonatal seizures appears to be within the first year of life, according to a study published online Feb. 19 in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology.
Jeanette Tinggaard, Ph.D., from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues estimated the cumulative risk for epilepsy after neonatal seizures and identified subpopulations at increased risk in a register-based cohort study involving all children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018.
A total of 1,294,377 children were followed, and 1,998 neonatal survivors of neonatal seizures were identified. The researchers found that the cumulative risk for epilepsy was 20.4 and 1.15 percent among children with and without neonatal seizures, respectively. Among children with neonatal seizures, epilepsy was diagnosed before 1 year of age in 11.4 percent, between 1 and 5 years in 4.5 percent, between 5 and 10 years in 3.1 percent, and between 10 and 22 years in 1.4 percent. Compared with children with seizures of unknown etiology, the etiologies of cerebral infarction, hemorrhage, or malformations and low Apgar score were associated with the highest risk for epilepsy (adjusted hazard ratios, 2.49 and 1.49, respectively).
"Our study confirms a substantial risk of epilepsy after neonatal seizures in neonatal survivors, with the highest risk observed in the first year of life but persisting into adolescence," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Skin-to-Skin Contact Boosts Brain Growth in Very Preterm Infants
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2025 -- Skin-to-skin contact is linked to brain growth in very preterm infants, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in Neurology. Katherine E...
Factors Linked to Risk for Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy Identified
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2025 -- Factors associated with an increased risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) have been identified, according to a study published online...
5.7 Million More U.S. Women Than Expected Were Childless in 2024
THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2025 -- In 2024, there were 5.7 million more childless women aged 20 to 39 years than would have been expected based on prior patterns, according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.