Abstracts

Rationale: Following a seizure, patients with epilepsy have reported diverse symptoms in the postictal period, from headache to psychosis, with varying degrees of frequency, duration, and severity. However, these phenomena are not well characterized, and their impact on patient well-being is not understood. The aim of this study is to characterize postictal symptoms in a population of children with epilepsy.Methods: We propose that in a subset of epilepsy patients, postictal symptoms will affect their ability to return to normal childhood behavior. To test this hypothesis, we used a questionnaire-based approach to characterize postictal symptoms, including type, frequency, and duration, in a population of children with epilepsy and we evaluated the impact these symptoms had on the ability of these children to perform their regular activities. Additionally, we sought to identify aggravating and alleviating factors. Ethics approval was obtained from the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB) at the University of Calgary.Results: Preliminary data was analyzed from 154 patients seen in the outpatient Neurology clinic at the Alberta Children’s Hospital (average age: 9 [0-17]; 48% F, 52% M). Initial results found that 88% of respondents experienced postictal symptoms (135/154), with the most common symptom being fatigue (90%; 121/133; Fig 1) and the most bothersome being weakness, which prevented 79% of those affected (n=55/70) from returning to normal activities of childhood. These data will be correlated with age, gender, ethnicity, seizure type, and epilepsy syndrome.Conclusions: With this preliminary study, we hope to further our understanding of symptoms experienced in the postictal period and gain a better understanding of how these symptoms impact children with epilepsy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective study of this type in the pediatric population.