Comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders in children with epilepsy A single-center observational study.

Abstract

Introduction: Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions that occur before school age and affect development. They can cause learning, communication, social interaction, or behavior difficulties. The objective of the present study was to identify the neurodevelopmental disorders present in children with a diagnosis of epilepsy who attended a public reference hospital in Venezuela.

Methods: The present cross-sectional observational study included children diagnosed with epilepsy who attended a neuropediatric consultation at the University Hospital of Maracaibo in Venezuela between March 2022 and March 2023. The presence of neurodevelopmental disorders was established according to the doctor's criteria, who evaluated each patient in the controlled trials. The chi-square test was used to analyze the categorical variables.

Results: A total of 110 patients were analyzed; 66 men (60.0%) were aged 7.3 ± 6.2 years, and generalized epilepsy predominated (76.4%). A total of 56 patients presented with neurodevelopmental disorders: 19 with intellectual development disorders (33.9%), 9 with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (16.0%), 14.2%, 7 with autism spectrum disorders (12.5%), 7 with language disorders (12.5%), and 6 with motor disorders (10.9%).

Conclusions: In the present investigation, it was observed that patients diagnosed with epilepsy had a high incidence of comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders, which included cognitive and behavioral alterations. Therefore, every professional needs to recognize the clinical signs of these disorders to provide timely multidisciplinary care that improves the quality of life of these patients and their families.