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Seizure Disorder, Absence

Christine Young, MD, Vaidehi Joshi, MD, MHA and Brittany E Zeller, DO Reviewed 06/2022
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • A type of generalized nonmotor seizure characterized by a brief lapse of awareness.

  • Classified by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) (1):

    • Typical have an abrupt onset an...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Detailed description of episode, including activity at onset, any automatisms, duration of episode, frequency of episodes, aura or postictal state, age of onset, and birth and develop...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

ALERT

Review seizure precautions with every patient diagnosed with or suspected to have epilepsy. Seizure precautions are to prevent injury. Patients should refrain from activ...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patients should be monitored periodically by a neurologist for evolution of absence epilepsy into other seizure types. 

PATIENT EDUCATION

  • Caregivers should be infor...

REFERENCES

1
Fisher RS, Cross JH, D'Souza C, et al. Instruction manual for the ILAE 2017 operational classification of seizure types. Epilepsia. 2017 Apr;58(4):531-542.
2
Guilhoto LM. Absence epilepsy: C...

CODES

ICD10

  • G40.409 Other generalized epilepsy and epileptic syndromes, not intractable, without status epilepticus

  • G40.419 Oth generalized epilepsy, intractable, w/o stat epi

  • G40.401 Oth generalized epi...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Children with CAE can exhibit cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial comorbidities. For these children, attentional deficits are the most important marker of cognitive dysfunction and...

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