The Curious Case of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: Treatment-Resistant Seizures in a Patient With Autism Spectrum Disease With Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

Cureus. 2021 Jul 31;13(7):e16784. doi: 10.7759/cureus.16784. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a childhood epilepsy disorder seen between the ages of one to eight years with the electroencephalogram (EEG) changes showing slow spiked-wave complex bursts or paroxysms of generalized fast activity and intellectual disability and often needing multiple lines of treatment. Autism spectrum disease (ASD) is rare but catastrophic comorbidity seen in a patient with LGS. We report an eight-year-old boy presenting to the emergency department with seizures and mental retardation. His first seizure was at the age of five months but was symptomatically treated without any specific diagnosis. On further investigation, the patient was diagnosed with LGS with concomitant ASD. The patient has successfully been treated for his treatment-resistant seizures and is now on regular follow-ups. This article aims to highlight this rare combination of LGS along with ASD and understand the disease course.

Keywords: anti-epileptic drugs; autism spectrum disease; epileptic seizures; lennox-gastaut syndrome; mental retardation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports