Epilepsy beginning in infancy

Epilepsy and epileptic seizures are common in infancy. A population-based study of Canadian children found an incidence of epilepsy of 118/100,000 infants aged less than one year (excluding neonates), falling to 42/100,000 in the second year of life (1). Seizures that are considered epileptic are of course even more common. Approximately 3% of all children will have at least one febrile seizure, the majority of which will occur in the first two years of life. Acute symptomatic seizures are also common in this age group with common etiologies including CNS infection, trauma and transient biochemical impairment (e.g., hyponatraemia, hypoglycemia and hypocalcemia). Clearly, evaluation of infants with seizures must always include a careful search for an underlying and potentially treatable cause.