Seizures are the most common pediatric neurologic disorder. Four to ten percent of children suffer at least one seizure in the first 16 years of life. The incidence is highest in children less than 3 years of age, with a decreasing frequency in older children. Epidemiologic studies reveal that approximately 150,000 children will sustain a first-time unprovoked seizure each year, and of those, 30,000 will develop epilepsy. This article describes the types, diagnoses, and management and disposition of this pediatric neurologic disorder.
aDivision of Emergency Medicine, Miami Children's Hospital, 3100 SW 62nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33155, USA
bChildren's Hospital and Health Center, University of California, San Diego, 3030 Children's Way, San Diego, CA 92123, USA
ABSTRACT