Childhood absence epilepsy

It has been suggested that this article be merged into Absence seizure. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2023.

Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), formerly known as pyknolepsy, is an idiopathic generalized epilepsy which occurs in otherwise normal children. The age of onset is between 4–10 years with peak age between 5–7 years. Children have absence seizures which although brief (~4–20 seconds), they occur frequently, sometimes in the hundreds per day. The absence seizures of CAE involve abrupt and severe impairment of consciousness. Mild automatisms are frequent, but major motor involvement early in the course excludes this diagnosis. The EEG demonstrates characteristic "typical 3Hz spike-wave" discharges. The presence of any other seizure type at time of diagnosis rules out the diagnose of CAE.^[1] Prognosis is usually good in well-defined cases of CAE with most patients "growing out" of their epilepsy.^[2]