TY - JOUR

T1 - School performance and psychiatric comorbidity in childhood absence epilepsy

T2 - A Danish cohort study

AU - Boesen, Magnus Spangsberg

AU - Børresen, Malene Landbo

AU - Christensen, Søren Kirchhoff

AU - Klein-Petersen, Amalie Wandel

AU - El Mahdaoui, Sahla

AU - Sagar, Malini Vendela

AU - Schou, Emilie

AU - Eltvedt, Anna Korsgaard

AU - Cacic Hribljan, Melita

AU - Born, Alfred Peter

AU - Uldall, Peter Vilhelm

AU - Thygesen, Lau Caspar

AU - Miranda, Maria Jose

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 European Paediatric Neurology Society

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The aim was to determine school performance and psychiatric comorbidity in children with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE). We reviewed the medical records in children with ICD-10 codes for idiopathic generalized epilepsy before 18 years of age, and pediatric neurologists confirmed the International League Against Epilepsy criteria for CAE were met. Control groups were the general pediatric population or children with non-neurological chronic disease. Outcomes were from nationwide and population-based registers on school performance and psychiatric comorbidity. We compared the mean grade point average using linear regression and estimated hazard ratios (HR) using Cox regression for the other outcomes. Analyses were adjusted for the child's sex, and year of birth, and parental highest education, receipt of cash benefits or early disability pension. We included 114 children with CAE with a median age at onset of 5.9 years (interquartile range = 4.5–7.3 years). Compared with both population controls and non-neurological chronically ill children, children with CAE had increased hazard of special needs education (HR = 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.8–4.1, p < 0.0001), lower grade point average at 9th grade by 1.7 grade points (95% CI = -2.5 to -1.0, p < 0.001), increased ADHD medicine use (HR = 4.4, 95% CI = 2.7–7.2, p < 0.001), increased sleep medicine use (HR 2.7, 95% CI = 1.7–4.3, p < 0.001), and increased psychiatry visits (HR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.1–4.0; p = 0.03). In conclusion, children with CAE have increased psychiatric comorbidity and a considerable proportion of these children receive special needs education in primary/secondary school, albeit insufficient to normalize their considerably lower grade point average in the 9th grade.

AB - The aim was to determine school performance and psychiatric comorbidity in children with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE). We reviewed the medical records in children with ICD-10 codes for idiopathic generalized epilepsy before 18 years of age, and pediatric neurologists confirmed the International League Against Epilepsy criteria for CAE were met. Control groups were the general pediatric population or children with non-neurological chronic disease. Outcomes were from nationwide and population-based registers on school performance and psychiatric comorbidity. We compared the mean grade point average using linear regression and estimated hazard ratios (HR) using Cox regression for the other outcomes. Analyses were adjusted for the child's sex, and year of birth, and parental highest education, receipt of cash benefits or early disability pension. We included 114 children with CAE with a median age at onset of 5.9 years (interquartile range = 4.5–7.3 years). Compared with both population controls and non-neurological chronically ill children, children with CAE had increased hazard of special needs education (HR = 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.8–4.1, p < 0.0001), lower grade point average at 9th grade by 1.7 grade points (95% CI = -2.5 to -1.0, p < 0.001), increased ADHD medicine use (HR = 4.4, 95% CI = 2.7–7.2, p < 0.001), increased sleep medicine use (HR 2.7, 95% CI = 1.7–4.3, p < 0.001), and increased psychiatry visits (HR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.1–4.0; p = 0.03). In conclusion, children with CAE have increased psychiatric comorbidity and a considerable proportion of these children receive special needs education in primary/secondary school, albeit insufficient to normalize their considerably lower grade point average in the 9th grade.

KW - ADHD

KW - Childhood absence epilepsy

KW - Prognosis

KW - Psychiatric comorbidity

KW - School

U2 - 10.1016/j.ejpn.2022.12.008

DO - 10.1016/j.ejpn.2022.12.008

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36584475

AN - SCOPUS:85145318778

VL - 42

SP - 75

EP - 81

JO - European Journal of Paediatric Neurology

JF - European Journal of Paediatric Neurology

SN - 1090-3798

ER -