Autism-Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

Early and Late-Onset Epilepsy in Autism: High Rate of Secondarily Generalized Seizures

Tomoyuki Takano, Chihiro Sawai, Yuko Sakaue, Katsuyuki Matsui, Noriko Nishikura, Seiichirou Yoshioka and Yoshihiro Takeuchi

Background: The purpose of this study was to better characterize the features of early and late-onset epilepsy in individuals with autism.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of all patients with autism referred to Shiga University Hospital between 2002 and 2012. Patients who were identified as having epilepsy were examined, and they were divided into two groups according to the age of seizure onset (younger or older than three years).

Results: Of the 274 patients with autism, 40 individuals with epilepsy were identified. We detected two peaks of seizure onset in the patients with epilepsy, one in early childhood and one in adolescence, with a high incidence of West syndrome (p=0.005) in the early-onset group and a high level of secondarily generalized seizures (p=0.01) in the late-onset group.

Conclusion: The present results are closely consistent with those published previously; however, the high rate of secondarily generalized seizures in the late-onset epilepsy group of autism is herein reported for the first time.