AES: First Seizure Clinic Speeds Time to Diagnosis With Pediatric Epilepsy

FRIDAY, Dec. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Children referred to a first seizure clinic (FSC) see a neurologist epilepsy specialist within one week, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, held from Dec. 5 to 9 in Atlanta.

Noting that children often wait weeks or months after having a seizure to see a specialist, Gogi Kumar, M.D., from the Dayton Children”s Hospital in Ohio, and colleagues examined the length of time until evaluation for those referred to the FSC at Dayton Children”s Hospital.

The researchers found that between Jan. 1, 2017, and April 30, 2025, 1,622 children were seen a median of six days after referral to the FSC. Overall, 21.6 percent were diagnosed with epilepsy, generalized epilepsy, febrile seizures, absence epilepsy/syndrome, benign childhood epilepsy, Jeavons syndrome, or juvenile absence epilepsy after the first visit. A total of 1,021 (62.9 percent) of children underwent diagnostic procedures, including long-term electroencephalogram monitoring and brain magnetic resonance imaging (77.2 and 44.5 percent, respectively). Seizure like activity and convulsions were also common diagnoses (21.6 and 15.8 percent, respectively).

“For children, even a one-month delay in diagnosis and treatment can cause long-term developmental problems,” Kumar said in a statement. “Timely treatment can reduce the risk of injury and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and help children live healthier lives.”

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