Treating Focal Seizures in School-Age Children

Anup Patel, MD

Disclosures

September 22, 2023

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average US school has three to four students who have epilepsy. The condition results in focal seizures (complex partial seizures) that start in one hemisphere of the brain and are associated with an impairment in consciousness. Treatment for these children depends primarily on the type of seizure and the child's age.

However, about 60% of children with epilepsy do not take their antiseizure medication as prescribed, leading to adverse consequences.

In this ReCAP, Dr Anup Patel from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, discusses barriers that affect adherence to medications and strategies for initiating treatment.

He also outlines nonpharmacologic measures, including dietary therapy, antiseizure devices, and surgery, that may also be effective and stresses the urgent need for seizure action plans that outline what to do in case of an epilepsy-related emergency.

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