Background: Seizures in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) tend to be intractable over time and become a subsequent psychological burden for the patients. The purpose of the current study was to describe the onset, phenotype, and factors associated with seizure remission in patients with TSC.
Methods: Patients diagnosed with TSC between 2009 and 2015 completed a questionnaire interview and underwent a systematic evaluation, including a medical review of their epilepsy history and neurobehavioral disorder assessment.
Results: Of the 61 patients, 50 patients (82.0%) had a positive seizure history. The active (n = 34) and seizure remission (n = 16) groups showed significant differences in age, neurobehavioral disorder, history of refractory epilepsy, and onset age (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, p < 0.05, and p < 0.05, respectively). The remission rates were 33.3% and 38.5% for those aged 6-18 years and over 18 years, respectively (p for trend = 0.01).
Conclusion: Seizure remission can occur in adulthood. It shows a high correlation with patient age, minor refractory epilepsy, and neurobehavioral disorders.
Keywords: Refractory epilepsy; Seizure remission; Tuberous sclerosis complex.
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