EPILEPSY IN CHILDREN WITH CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM INFECTIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

<p class="cvGsUA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none">In childhood, infections of the central nervous system may lead to neurodevelopmental disorders and complications such as epilepsy. The present study aimed to evaluate epilepsy in children with central nervous system (CNS) infections. </span><span class="a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none">The present systematic review and meta-analysis included five cohort studies from international databases, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, from January 1, 2010, to May 10, 2025, using keywords aligned with the study objective. The statistical analysis was performed using Stata/MP v17 and a random-effect model. </span><span class="a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none">The risk ratio of epilepsy in children with etiologically diagnosed CNS infections was 0.23 (ES = 0.23; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.45; I</span><span class="a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none font-size-modifier vertical-align">2</span><span class="a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none"> = 99.52%, P < 0.05). </span><span class="a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none">Based on the results of the present study, there is a high risk of epilepsy associated with brain infections.</span></p>