Epilepsy and treatment challenges in children

*Correspondence: [e-mail].

Abstract

Background: Epilepsy is characterized as a brain dysfunction with a predisposition to cause epileptic seizures. Most cases arise in childhood, and it is a challenge to achieve the best treatment for each child.

Objective: To analyze the proposed treatments for epilepsy in children in order to indicate the most likely to increase their quality of life.

Methods: This is a review of literature and articles from the Scielo and PubMed platforms, with descriptors “Epilepsy”; “Child”; “Treatment” connected by “and”. They were selected by reading, with inclusion and exclusion criteria, excluding the repeated and unavailable ones, including works from the last 7 years, totaling 6 references.

Results: Treatments vary depending on the type of epilepsy of each child and the time of diagnosis. Treatment with antiepileptic drugs reduces recurrence in the first two years after the first seizure, however, the impasse is that in the long term it does not reduce the risk of epilepsy. In addition, the ketogenic diet proved to be beneficial for the prevention of epileptic events, as it reduces neuronal excitability, which improves the control of cirrhosis. In addition, surgical treatment can reduce the recurrence of seizures, with a better prognosis in children diagnosed less than 2 years ago.

Conclusion: Thus, the treatment of epilepsy in children is still full of challenges, since it must be based on a holistic approach, also considering its associated comorbidities. The ideal is to include a multidisciplinary team to control crises and ensure a better quality of life.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2025