Intellectual impairment among epileptic children correlation with age of onset and duration of epilepsy

ABSTRACT

Intellectual impairment among epileptic children has been a subject of study throughout the modern era of epileptology. Early age of onset and long duration of epilepsy have been implicated as possible contributors. To test for this hyposis, 45 epileptic children and 20 normal controls of the same age group [6-16 years] were studied using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised [WISC-R]. Correlations between intellectual impairment and age of onset and duration of epilepsy were done. The results showed that epileptic children have significantly lower IQ than controls. Moreover, those with earlier seizure onset and longer seizure duration have significantly lower IQ. In conclusion, the earlier the age of onset and the longer the duration of epilepsy, the more the intellectual impairment