Determination of the risk factors in children's drug resistant epilepsy

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders of the central nervous system in childhood. The definition of intractable epilepsy is still a matter of debate. Patients who received at least two antiepileptic drugs for at least 18 months in maximum dose and who had at least one seizure in the last year were considered to be intractable epilepsy. The aim of this study was to determine the possible risk factors of intractable epilepsy patients who applied to Gaziantep University Medical Faculty Pediatric Neurology Clinic between November 2017 and September 2018 to prevent the risk factors that could be prevented and to predict the prognosis of epilepsy effectively beforehand. The data were obtained by interviewing the patients and their families who were admitted to the outpatient clinic between 01.11.2017 and 01.09.2018 by examining face to face and examining their files and investigations. In our study, we determined the risk factors for intractable epilepsy as abnormal neurological examination findings, presence of microcephaly, presence of epileptic seizures, presence of EEG abnormality, presence of pathological findings with cranial imaging, presence of specific epileptic syndromes and early onset of seizure. Since the patients with drug resistant epilepsy have a long and frequent seizure and use more drugs in number, their medical, social, economic and psychological effects are severe. Moreover, drug side effects and frequent seizure-related life standards of the family and the patients are affected negatively. Therefore, it can be thought that other treatment options should be applied to the sepatients if it can be predicted early in which patient will not respond well to antiepileptic treatment. Keywords: Epilepsy, İntractable epilepsy, Risk factors.