ĐẶC ĐIỂM ĐỘNG KINH Ở TRẺ VIÊM NÃO TỰ MIỄN KHÁNG THỤ THỂ N-METHYL-D-ASPARTATE TẠI BỆNH VIỆN NHI TRUNG ƯƠNG

Abstract

Objective: To describe the characteristics of epilepsy in children diagnosed with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) autoimmune encephalitis (AE) at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study, combining both retrospective and prospective data collection, was conducted on 35 pediatric patients with symptomatic epilepsy due to anti-NMDAR AE from January 2020 to May 2025. Results: The prevalence of symptomatic epilepsy in this cohort was 50%. The mean age was 7.7 ± 4 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 1:0.9. Seizures typically occurred approximately 3.1 ± 4.9 days after the onset of initial symptoms. Focal seizures were observed in 51.4% of cases, and generalized seizures in 48.6%, with a mean duration of 5 ± 3.7 minutes. At diagnosis, 80% of patients experienced ≤ 5 seizures per day. Electroencephalographic abnormalities were present in 58.1% of cases, primarily background slowing (77.8%), and epileptiform discharges in 27.8%. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed abnormalities in 34.4% of cases, most frequently involving the temporal lobes (45.4%) and frontoparietal regions (36.4%). Conclusion: Epilepsy is a common manifestation of anti-NMDAR AE in children. Accurate characterization of seizure features is essential for guiding antiepileptic therapy and prognosis.