ArticleEpilepsia open2024
Pulsatile corticoid therapy reduces interictal epileptic activity burden in children with genetic drug-resistant epilepsy.
Article in Epilepsia open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Strategies in Epilepsy: From Molecular Mechanisms to Threshold Management.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Rethinking Corticosteroid Therapy in Pediatric Neurology.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Article
- Potential for Therapeutic Alteration of the Underlying Biology of Epilepsy.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Reduction of interictal epileptic burden by pulsatile corticoid therapy in children with drug-resistant epilepsy-How stable is the effect?Epileptic disorders : international epilepsy journal with videotape · 2025Article
- Pulsatile corticoid therapy reduces interictal epileptic activity burden in children with genetic drug-resistant epilepsy.Epilepsia open · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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Abstract
objectiveCorticosteroids and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) are the therapy of choice to treat infantile spasms. However, systematic studies about their use in other types of childhood epilepsies remain rare and ACTH can have serious side effects. This study compares the interictal epileptic activity (IEA) burden (% of electroencephalography (EEG) time with IEDs) in children with genetic drug-resistant epilepsy before and after a standardized treatment with pulsatile corticoid therapy (PCT).
methodsChildren with drug-resistant epilepsy underwent a standardized protocol for PCT with cycles of high-dose dexamethasone (20 mg/m
resultsIn the cohort of 24 children (10 female, 6.2 ± 3.4 years), IEA burden was lower in the EEG after PCT compared to the baseline (baseline: 5.4% [0.7-97.3] vs. after PCT: 1.5% [0-96.9], p = 0.001, d = -0.41). Sleep physiology expressed by sleep spindles improved after PCT with enhanced fast spindle rates (0.8/min [0-2.2] vs. 1.5/min [0.2-3.4], p = 0.045, d = 0.36). Seizure frequency was decreased in 17 of the 24 patients (70.8%) with one patient achieving seizure freedom. The majority of patients improved in quality of life (79.2%), and sleep (81.3%). No serious adverse effects were documented. SIGNIFICANCE: This study systematically assessed the effect of PCT in children with genetic / suspected genetic drug-resistant epilepsy. PCT was found to not only reduce the IEA burden but also increase sleep spindle rates, which are important for cognitive functioning. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: In this study, children with a form of epilepsy, which is resistant against antiseizure medication, received a systematic treatment with corticosteroids over multiple cycles in the hospital. It was found that not only the epileptic activity was reduced but also the sleep of the patients was improved after the treatment. These findings could provide the basis for extending the use of corticosteroids in children with epilepsy.
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