Juvenile Absence Epilepsy

Idiopathic generalized epilepsy is a group of epilepsies accounting for about 20 to 40% of all epilepsies. This group of epilepsies is clinically characterized by the presence of absence seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and myoclonic seizures with an electroencephalographic pattern of generalized epileptiform spike and wave or polyspike and wave discharge, at times with a shifting predominance on a normal background.

Based on the latest International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification, idiopathic generalized epilepsies include childhood absence epilepsy, juvenile absence epilepsy, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and generalized tonic-clonic seizures alone.

Juvenile absence epilepsy is an idiopathic generalized epilepsy syndrome that is recognized by the ILAE (International League Against Epilepsy) that typically starts in adolescence around puberty and is characterized by absence seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. In some patients, there may be additional myoclonic jerks as well.