Idiopathic generalised epilepsies: not only for the paediatrician
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Correspondence to: J W Sander; lsander{at}ion.ucl.ac.uk
Adult onset IGE is more common than generally realised
The commonest epileptic syndrome is the so-called idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE), which accounts for at least a third of all cases of epilepsy in the community.1 This proportion is even higher in the paediatric age range. The syndrome is characterised by the presence of generalised tonic clonic, myoclonic, and typical absence seizures on their own or in different combinations. The onset is usually before the age of 16. IGE has a typical electroencephalographic (EEG) pattern with paroxysms of generalised spike and wave and polyspike discharges, which is the hallmark of the syndrome. Age of …
