View clinical trials related to Absence Epilepsy.
Filter by:This study is being done to find out if a smartphone app can identify absence seizures. Children who have a history of absence seizures, as well as children without any seizure history, will be testing out the app. If participating the child will be guided through hyperventilation, an activity that asks the child to take quick, deep breaths. The app will record video of the child's face and sounds they make during hyperventilation. Hyperventilation is a safe and established technique frequently used during EEG (electroencephalogram) to encourage seizure occurrence. The App will be used during a regularly scheduled EEG.
The ketogenic diet is a medical therapy for epilepsy that is used nearly predominantly for refractory epilepsy (after 2-3 drugs have been tried and failed). However, there is both published evidence for first-line use (infantile spasms, Glut1 deficiency syndrome) and also anecdotal experience (families choosing to change the child's (or the family' own) diet rather than use anticonvulsant medications). Childhood absence epilepsy (refractory) has been published as being responsive to ketogenic diet therapy by the investigators' group previously. This is a small, prospective, 3 month trial to assess if using a modified Atkins diet is a feasible and effective option for new-onset childhood absence epilepsy. The investigators will compare to a group of children in which the parents have declined and chose to start anticonvulsant medications.
This longitudinal study will focus on the cognitive and brain development of children with absence epilepsy. In addition, the investigators aim to identify prognostic factors for cognitive deterioration and/or poor seizure control in these children.