Objective: The aim of the study was to determine sociodemographic, biological epilepsy-specific, and adherence predictors of long-term pediatric seizure outcomes.Methods: This study is a prospective, longitudinal, observational study of antiepileptic drug (AED) adherence and seizure outcomes in children with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Patients were recruited from April 2006 to March 2009 and followed for 2 years. Objective, electronic monitors were used to assess AED adherence. Medical chart reviews assessed medical variables and seizure outcomes.Results: Participants (n 5 109) were 7.3 6 2.9 years of age, and 62% male. Four adherence trajectory groups were identified: severe early nonadherence (n 5 10), variable nonadherence (n 5 16), moderate nonadherence (n 5 40), and high adherence (n 5 43). Two seizure probability trajectory groups were identified: high seizure (n 5 28) and low seizure probability (n 5 81). Participants with recognizable syndromes were less likely to be a member of the high seizure probability group (b 5 22.372; odds ratio [OR] 5 0.093; 95% confidence interval [CI] OR 5 0.015, 0.595); those with the presence of epileptiform discharges on EEG were more likely to be in the high seizure probability group (b 5 1.649; OR 5 5.203; 95% CI OR 5 1.422, 19.037). Adherence trajectory group status was a significant predictor of seizure trajectory group status (partial maxrescaled R 2 5 0.13). Despite the introduction of multiple new efficacious antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), 20% to 35% of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy continue to have seizures. 1-3 Several biologically based factors have been examined to understand this disease course, including underlying brain disorders and structural abnormalities, seizure type/etiology, and genetics.
Conclusions:4,5 However, these biological factors, which are nonmodifiable, do not fully explain the variability in seizure outcomes. In contrast, behavioral factors, such as AED nonadherence, are modifiable and may affect long-term seizure outcome. While discrete trajectories of AED nonadherence in children with newly diagnosed epilepsy have been identified, 6 similar trajectories of long-term seizure outcomes have not been examined. Our prior work also indicates that children who are nonadherent to their AEDs within the first 6 months of therapy are 3.24 times more likely to have seizures 4 years after diagnosis. 7 In adults, AED nonadherence increases short-term risk of seizures. 8,9 However, what remains unknown is the relationship between long-term nonadherence and seizure outcome in both adults and children. We conducted a prospective, longitudinal, observational study to