4.5 Article

Treatment Provided in Children and Adolescents with Functional Seizures-A Danish Nationwide Cohort

Journal

CHILDREN-BASEL
Volume 10, Issue 7, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/children10071218

Keywords

functional seizures; psychogenic nonepileptic seizures; management; treatment; paediatric; Danish nationwide cohort

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This study examined the treatment and collaboration among 334 Danish children and adolescents diagnosed with functional seizures. The most commonly used treatment modalities were psychoeducation and outpatient follow-up. Only a few patients received the recommended combination of psychoeducation, outpatient follow-up, and psychotherapy. Implementing a multidisciplinary treatment approach should be explored to improve the treatment for this group.
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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