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Postgrad Med J 2003;79:78-80 doi:10.1136/pmj.79.928.78
  • Review

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: under-appreciated and under-diagnosed

  1. R Renganathan,
  2. N Delanty
  1. Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurological Sciences, Beaumont Hospital, and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr R Renganathan, Neurology Department, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland; 
 jandumbo{at}yahoo.com
  • Received 1 September 2002
  • Accepted 5 November 2002

Abstract

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a hereditary, idiopathic, generalised epilepsy and is found in 5%–11% of patients with epilepsy. It is characterised by myoclonic jerks, occasional generalised tonic-clonic seizures, and sometimes absence seizures. JME continues to be under-appreciated and under-diagnosed. Accurate diagnosis is important as it usually responds well to treatment with appropriate anticonvulsants and misdiagnosis often results in unnecessary morbidity. In addition lifelong therapy is usually indicated as the natural history is one of relapse off treatment, even after a prolonged seizure-free period.

Footnotes

    Responses to this article

    • Myoclonus & Sub-acute Scerosing Pan Encephalitis
      • Jayendra R Gohil,
      • Sucheta Munshi, Jatin Mistry, Chirag Shah
      Postgrad Med J published online June 5, 2003

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