BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS IN EPILEPTIC CHILDREN A TERTIARY CARE EXPERIENCE

Background: Psychiatric conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), and affective, aggressive, and social disorders occur in children with epilepsy (CWE) and have a major influence on the quality of life of these children Objective: To assess prevalence of behavioral problems inchildren with epilepsy. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of children with epilepsy, and normal controls enrolled. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used as a tool to assess the behavior based on parents reported observation. Results: We had 93 children with epilepsy 2-5 years of age and 105 in 6-14 years of age, with 74 and 83 unaffected controls, respectively. Mean CBCL scores for most of the domains in children of both age groups were significantly higher than controls. We detected externalizing domain (23.3%) in 2-5 years, and in both internalizing (21.2%) and externalizing (45%) domains in children of 6-14 years. Younger age of onset, frequency of seizures and duration of disease had significant correlation with behavioral problems in both the age groups. Antiepileptic drug polytherapy was significantly associated with internalizing problems in older children. Conclusion: Age at onset, frequency of seizures and duration of disease were found to be significantly associated with occurrence of behavioral problems.