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Gabapentin as add-on therapy in children with refractory partial seizures: a 24-week, multicentre, open-label study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2001

Richard Appleton
Affiliation:
The Roald Dahl EEG Unit, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
Klaus Fichtner
Affiliation:
Pfizer Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Linda LaMoreaux
Affiliation:
Pfizer Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Jeannine Alexander
Affiliation:
Pfizer Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Stephen Maton
Affiliation:
Pfizer Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Guta Murray
Affiliation:
Pfizer Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Elizabeth Garofalo
Affiliation:
Pfizer Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
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Abstract

The efficacy and safety of gabapentin as add-on therapy for refractory partial seizures in 237 children, aged 3 to 12 years were evaluated over a 6-month period. All children received gabapentin at 24 to 70mg/kg/day. Efficacy variables included the percent change in seizure frequency and the responder rate (defined as those patients who showed >50% reduction in seizure frequency). For all partial seizures, the median percent change in seizure frequency was –34% and the overall responder rate was 34%. Simple partial seizures showed a median reduction of –53%; complex partial seizures, –38%; and secondarily generalized tonic–clonic seizures, –35%. Thirteen patients (5%) withdrew during the 6-month period because of adverse events. Concurrent antiepileptic medication remained unchanged in 185 patients (78%), was decreased in 27 (11%), and increased in 25 (11%) patients. This 6-month follow-up study has demonstrated that gabapentin was well tolerated and appeared to show a sustained efficacy in a large population of children with refractory partial and secondarily generalized tonic–clonic seizures.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
© 2001 Mac Keith Press

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