Abstracts

Rationale: Conventional teaching is that juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) and juvenile absence epilepsy (JAE) require lifelong antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. We therefore wanted to see how many patients attending our epilepsy service with JAE or JME went into 2 year remission, and then relapsed, both off and on AEDs, and whether, if they relapsed off AEDs, they would remit again on re-treatment with AEDs. Methods: This was a retrospective case-notes review. Patients with JAE and JME were systematically ascertained from clinic lists and databases at one teaching hospital. Data was extracted systematically. Simple descriptive statistics were used. Results: JAE: 14/36 (39%) were seizure free on AEDs for at least 2 years. Of the 6 (43%) attempting AED withdrawal, all (100%) relapsed, compared with only 25% of those who did not withdraw AEDs. Only 2/5 of those who relapsed who restarted AEDs regained remission. JME: 32/145 (22%) were seizure free on AEDs for at least 2 years. Of the 10 (31%) attempting AED withdrawal, 8 (80%) relapsed, compared with only 36% of those who did not withdraw AEDs. Only 2/8 of those who relapsed who restarted AEDs regained remission. Conclusions: Remission rates for JAE and JME was lower than expected. Higher proportions of seizure free patients underwent physician-supervised withdrawal than anticipated. Relapse rates off AEDs were similar for JAE and JME, and at least twice as high as for those remaining on AEDs, and a further remission was not inevitable on restarting AEDs. Our experience, comparing relapse in those withdrawing to those staying on AEDs will help inform discussions with patients keen to try AED withdrawal. Funding: No funding was received.