<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0031_s_001"><h3>Background</h3><p>Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood motor impairment. Epilepsy affects approximately one third of patients with CP. It is characterized by earlier disclosure, it is more severe and shows greater resistance than that of the general epilepsy treatment, associated with necessity for polytherapy. Its presence can result in gradual loss of function, loss of posture in non-ambulant individuals with severe disabilities and cognitive impairment risk, behavioural disorders and reducing probability of walking.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0031_s_002"><h3>Aim</h3><p>The aim of the study was to evaluate the functioning of people with CP with and without epilepsy.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0031_s_003"><h3>Material and Methods</h3><p>The study included 210 patients with a diagnosis of CP, aged 0–18 years. The study was conducted among the patients using the physiotherapy services in centres in southern Poland. The study used the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and the classification systems: GMFCS, MACS, and CFCS.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0031_s_004"><h3>Results</h3><p>There were significant differences with regards to social functioning (53.7/67.4; W = 179, p = 0.006) and support in the social functioning (65.4/89.9; W = 185.5, p = 0.007) in patients with diplegia. However, mobility (19.55/29.00; W = 392, p = 0.018) and the social functioning (36.95/44.1; W = 418.5, p = 0.042) were lower in epileptic patients with tetraplegia. In patients with hemiplegia, there were no significant differences, although each domain with epilepsy subgroup had a lower rating than the subgroup without epilepsy.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0031_s_005"><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The presence of epilepsy is associated with lower levels of social function in patients with cerebral palsy; particularly, with regard to mobility and selfservice.</p><p>Assessment of epilepsy impact on the level of social functioning of people with CP (diplegia, tetraplegia, hemiplegia) is difficult because ambiguous relationship with mental retardation. The assessment should be undertaken separately for each group of spastic CP.</p></sec></abstract>

BackgroundCerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood motor impairment. Epilepsy affects approximately one third of patients with CP. It is characterized by earlier disclosure, it is more severe and shows greater resistance than that of the general epilepsy treatment, associated with necessity for polytherapy. Its presence can result in gradual loss of function, loss of posture in non-ambulant individuals with severe disabilities and cognitive impairment risk, behavioural disorders and reducing probability of walking.AimThe aim of the study was to evaluate the functioning of people with CP with and without epilepsy.Material and MethodsThe study included 210 patients with a diagnosis of CP, aged 0–18 years. The study was conducted among the patients using the physiotherapy services in centres in southern Poland. The study used the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and the classification systems: GMFCS, MACS, and CFCS.ResultsThere were significant differences with regards to social functioning (53.7/67.4; W = 179, p = 0.006) and support in the social functioning (65.4/89.9; W = 185.5, p = 0.007) in patients with diplegia. However, mobility (19.55/29.00; W = 392, p = 0.018) and the social functioning (36.95/44.1; W = 418.5, p = 0.042) were lower in epileptic patients with tetraplegia. In patients with hemiplegia, there were no significant differences, although each domain with epilepsy subgroup had a lower rating than the subgroup without epilepsy.ConclusionThe presence of epilepsy is associated with lower levels of social function in patients with cerebral palsy; particularly, with regard to mobility and selfservice.Assessment of epilepsy impact on the level of social functioning of people with CP (diplegia, tetraplegia, hemiplegia) is difficult because ambiguous relationship with mental retardation. The assessment should be undertaken separately for each group of spastic CP.

The effect of seizures on functional status of people with spastic forms of cerebral palsy

Journal of Epileptology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

BackgroundCerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood motor impairment. Epilepsy affects approximately one third of patients with CP. It is characterized...

The effect of seizures on functional status of people with spastic forms of cerebral palsy

Published Online: Jun 02, 2015

Page range: 91 - 102

Received: Dec 05, 2014

Accepted: May 29, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/joepi-2015-0031

Keywords
cerebral palsy, epilepsy, functional assessment

© 2015 Agata Michalska et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The effect of seizures on functional status of people with spastic forms of cerebral palsy

Published Online: Jun 02, 2015

Page range: 91 - 102

Received: Dec 05, 2014

Accepted: May 29, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/joepi-2015-0031

Keywordscerebral palsy, epilepsy, functional assessment

© 2015 Agata Michalska et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
cerebral palsy, epilepsy, functional assessment