Sørensen NB, Nielsen RE, Christensen AE, Kjeldsen MK, Rask CU, Christensen J, Hansen AS. Treatment Provided in Children and Adolescents with Functional Seizures-A Danish Nationwide Cohort.
Children (Basel) 2023;
10:1218. [PMID:
37508715 PMCID:
PMC10378534 DOI:
10.3390/children10071218]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Functional seizures (FS) are episodes of paroxysmal involuntary movements and altered consciousness without the typical changes in the electroencephalography as with epilepsy. A multidisciplinary approach is the golden standard in the treatment of FS. This study examined the cross-sectoral collaboration and treatment modalities provided to children and adolescents after a diagnosis of FS.
METHOD
A Danish nationwide cohort, consisting of 334 children and adolescents, aged 5-17 years, with a validated diagnosis of FS during the period 2004-2014 was studied. Medical record data were collected from diagnosing hospital departments. Management and treatment modalities from the time of diagnosis up to three months after diagnosis were explored.
RESULTS
The most used treatment modalities were psychoeducation (n = 289, 86.5%) and follow-up in outpatient care (n = 192, 70.6%). A cross-sectoral collaboration was initiated for a third of cases (n = 98, 29.3%). The most commonly provided treatment combination consisted of psychoeducation, follow-up in outpatient care and psychotherapy; however, only a few patients received this specific combination (n = 14, 4.2%).
CONCLUSIONS
The treatment applied was individualized and consisted of varying use of treatment modalities. Initiatives to curate clinical guidelines and implement a multidisciplinary treatment approach should be further explored to improve treatment for this young group of patients.
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