MedPath

Prevalence of ADHD in Children With Epilepsy

Not yet recruiting
Conditions
ADHD
Epilepsy
Registration Number
NCT07205211
Lead Sponsor
Assiut University
Brief Summary

To Determine the prevalence of ADHD symptoms in children with epilepsy, And find out the possible risk factors of ADHD in such patients and it's effect on prognosis of the disease

Detailed Description

Epilepsy may be defined as the recurrence of apparently spontaneous seizures and can be a pervasive condition in which the seizures are just one expression Epileptic seizures are transient clinical events resulting from atypical and excessive activity of more or less widespread population of cerebral neurons Epilepsy is a heterogeneous disorder that consists of clinical syndromes, characterized by different types of seizures, and underlying aetiologies . It is the most common pediatric neurological disorder with prevalence estimates of 0.5-1% of all children from birth to 16 years .

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common brain disorder with onset in early childhood,due to structural and functional abnormalities in widespread, but specific areas of the brain . ADHD is a frequent co morbidity experienced by children with epilepsy, has a negative impact on their quality of life,and represents a significant risk factor for academic underachievement.

ADHD has been reported in epilepsy since the Fifties of the 20th century .More recently a high association between the two disorders, with an increasing evidence of a bidirectional relationship, has been postulated . Several factors may contribute to this comorbidity, including the underlying brain pathology, the chronic effects of seizures and of the epileptiform EEG discharges, and the effects of antiepileptic drugs. Symptoms of ADHD are more common in some specific types of epilepsies, such as frontal lobe epilepsy, childhood absence epilepsy and Rolandic epilepsy, and may antedate seizure onset in a significant proportion of cases.

Attention problems are frequently reported in children with intractable symptomatic epilepsy, as well as in idiopathic epilepsies . Patients who have generalized epilepsies are more frequently reported to have attentional difficulties than patients suffering from partial seizures. Furthermore, certain epilepsy syndromes may predispose to ADHD-like behavior .ADHD is a prevalent co morbidity of new onset idiopathic epilepsy, associated with a series of cognitive and behavioral complications that antedate epilepsy onset in a significant proportion of cases, and appear related to neurodevelopmental abnormalities in brain structures . The presence of ADHD symptoms at the time of epilepsy onset is a major marker of abnormal cognitive development The mechanisms underlying attention deficits are still unknown and appear to be different between focal and generalized epilepsies. In the clinical practice, this association may represent a challenge for child neurologists since antiepileptic therapy and drugs used to treat ADHD may aggravate the clinical picture of each other .-Treatment with psychotropic drugs can be initiated safely in most children with epilepsy and ADHD symptoms.

Previous studies show that Children with epilepsy have more attention problems as compared with healthy controls. ADHD in childhood epilepsy is associated with male sex, younger age, early first onset age, high frequency of epileptic seizures, and multiple AEDs

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
185
Inclusion Criteria

All children above the age of 3 years who have any type of epilepsy and are seen in the neurology unit in Assiut University Children's Hospital.

Exclusion Criteria

Children below 3 years of age. Children with ADHD who do not have epilepsy.

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change from Baseline in ADHD Symptom Total Score (ADHD-SC4)12 weeks

The primary outcome will be the change from baseline in the total symptom score, as measured by the ADHD Symptom Checklist-4 Scale (ADHD-SC4), a validated parent-completed rating scale. Efficacy will be determined by a statistically significant reduction in the total score from baseline to the final 12-week assessment compared to control.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change from Baseline in Quality of Life Total Score (PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales)12 weeks

The change from baseline to the final 12-week assessment in the overall Total Score from the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales (PedsQL). The PedsQL is a validated, patient- and parent-reported scale that assesses daily functioning, social relationships, and emotional health. The total score will be used as the primary QoL metric.

MedPath

Empowering clinical research with data-driven insights and AI-powered tools.

© 2025 MedPath, Inc. All rights reserved.