Perceived health in children presenting with a "first seizure"

The goal of this study was to determine health perceptions of children and parents after a "first seizure." Children 5-17 years of age referred with a first recognized seizure (FRS) were included in the study. Children and primary caregivers completed the Child Health Questionnaire. Sixty-seven of 70 (96%) participated (mean age = 11.2, SD = 3.4; 48 seizure, 19 nonseizure). Parents of children with a first recognized epileptic seizure (FRS-e) had significantly lower scores on Psychosocial Summary scores (P < 0.001) and on 6 of 12 subscales. Children who had had their first recognized nonepileptic seizure (FRS-ne) tended to have poorer Parental Time-Emotional scores (P = 0.05). Although children did not receive lower scores, they did report a change in perceived health (P = 0.017). While parents of children presenting with a FRS report increased emotional impact, those with a FRS-e report more significant difficulties in several domains of perceived health. It is important for physicians and health care providers to be aware of these concerns as they might impact further interventions.