Published date: Dec 29 2023

Journal Title: Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences

Issue title: Sudan JMS: Volume 18 (2023), Issue No. 4

Pages: 488–497

DOI: 10.18502/sjms.v18i4.14735

Hajatmena AlkhedirFederal Ministry of Health, Sudan

Abubaker MohamedSharifFaculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

Isra Bdraldein Salih Mohammedisrabdr1995@gmail.comFaculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

Inaam MohamedDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

Background: The objective of this study is to utilize the ILAE 2017 to classify epilepsy patients and determine its applicability in Sudan.

Methods: This study is a prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional research conducted in two pediatric epilepsy clinics in Khartoum State, Sudan.

Results: In this cross-sectional study, 350 pediatric patients with epilepsy were included, with a mean age of 8.4 ± 4.7 years and a mean illness duration of 4.71 ± 3.91 years. The ILAE classification was applied, showing that 71.11% of patients had generalized onset seizures, 27.7% had focal onset seizures, and only 1.1% had unknown onset seizures. Among patients with focal onset seizures, 56.4% had intact awareness, while 43.6% had impaired levels of awareness. The majority of patients who had generalized onset seizures experienced motor onset seizures, with tonic-clonic seizures being the most common (44.2%). Nearly all patients with unknown onset seizures experienced tonic-clonic convulsions. These findings provide insights into the prevalence and types of seizures among pediatric epilepsy patients in Sudan and can guide clinicians in developing appropriate treatment plans.

Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of utilizing the latest ILAE classification 2017 in epilepsy classification and its potential utilization in resource-limited areas like Sudan.

Keywords: epilepsy, classification, ILAE, Sudanese, children

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