Abstract
Long-term prognosis was studied in 103 cases with generalized tonic and/or clonic convulsions in the first year of life (boys 49, grils 54). All cases were aged 6 years or more at the time of the final follow-up. According to their mental and physical status, the subjects were divided into two groups; mentally and physically normal (N), mentally and/or physically handicapped (H). Each group was further divided into two subgroups A (38) and B (19) in group N (57), C (8) and D (38) in group H (46). In cases of A and C, seizures ceased before 3 years of age and seizures persisted at or over 3 years of age in B and D.
Sixty-five cases (63%) were free from seizures for more than three years. 55% showed normal development and 37% normal mental and physical development and complete remission of seizures. The latter can be called benign infantile convulsions.
Following five factors were found to be associated with good prognosis for mental and physical development: 1) cryptogenic, 2) normal development before the onset, 3) noneurological abnormality, 4) no evolution into other types of seizures, and 5) normal EEG course. If a patient has three factors, above-mentioned 1)-3), in the early stage of infantile convulsions, good prognosis will be expected. However, no significant difference in prognostic factors was found between subgroup A and B.
