Characteristics of Patients with Epilepsy Applying to Pediatric Emergency Department

Objective: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases of childhood. Pediatric patients diagnosed with epilepsy may present to pediatric emergency departments for various reasons, in addition to follow-up in pediatric neurology/pediatrics outpatient clinics. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of patients diagnosed with epilepsy presenting to the pediatric emergency department, their reasons for admission, and the follow-up process in the pediatric emergency department. Method: This is a retrospective study. 802 emergency visits from 492 patients diagnosed with epilepsy who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Department of Ankara Bilkent City Hospital between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, were included. Results: The mean age of the patients was 99.4 ± 64.3 months, 59.8% were male, and 40.2% were female. Thirty-four percent of the patients had a chronic disease accompanying their epilepsy, and those with comorbidities presented to the emergency department more frequently than those without (p0.05). It was shown that the duration of follow-up for epilepsy did not affect the frequency of pediatric emergency department visits. The most common reason for patient visits to the pediatric emergency department was seizures (69.1%), followed by upper and lower respiratory tract infections (10.9%), acute gastroenteritis (6%), allergies (1%), and psychiatric conditions (1.5%). Irregular antiepileptic drug (AED) use was the most common cause of seizures. Of the 554 seizure visits, 161 received AED treatment in the emergency department. At the end of follow-up and treatment, 32.5% of the patients were admitted to pediatric inpatient wards, and 5.1% were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Conclusion: Establishing an emergency epilepsy clinic for patients diagnosed with epilepsy can reduce healthcare costs and prevent unnecessary workforce loss; the establishment of such clinics in our country is recommended.