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Epilepsy is a more common disease than is generally assumed, and statistically, approximately 0.5-1% of the total population suffers from epilepsy. Moreover, about 80% of epilepsy cases begin in childhood. Approximately 75% of pediatric epilepsy is idiopathic epilepsy with an unknown cause, and the remaining 25% is symptomatic epilepsy with an unknown cause. Common causes in children include brain damage at birth, anoxia, brain infections, congenital brain malformations, and brain trauma. For epileptic seizures, an appropriate anticonvulsant is prescribed depending on the type of seizure based on the differences between seizure symptoms and EEG findings. The Pediatric Epilepsy Clinic not only treats pediatric epilepsy but also treats febrile convulsions and other pediatric convulsive diseases.

The human brain has millions of nerve cells, and these cells work by exchanging electrical signals with each other. In a healthy state, these electrical signals are properly regulated, but in a pathological state, when too much electricity is released at once, it can cause seizures. It will happen.

Symptoms that appear vary depending on where in the brain the nerve cells that abnormally and excessively emit electrical energy are located. Your hands and feet and face may tremble, you may see strange things, hear strange noises, and smell strange smells. In some cases, you may experience extreme pleasure, and on the contrary, you may experience fear. You may lose consciousness and fall down, your whole body may become stiff or twisted, strange thoughts may appear repeatedly and cannot be erased, and past experiences may come to mind. These are the symptoms of seizures. ‘Epilepsy’ is a brain disease in which these seizures occur repeatedly and chronically.

Epilepsy is a much more common disease than is generally assumed. The incidence is usually about 20 to 70 per 100,000 people per year, and the number of epilepsy patients surveyed at one time (prevalence) is approximately It is known to be about 4 to 10 people per 1,000 people. Although the exact prevalence rate in Korea is not yet known, the number of epilepsy patients in Korea is estimated to be approximately 350,000 to 400,000.

Moreover, the onset of epilepsy usually occurs before the age of 20, and approximately 80% of all epilepsy patients develop the disease in childhood. In fact, patients with epilepsy account for the largest number of patients with neurological diseases that pediatric neurologists encounter.

It is known that about 80% of all epilepsy patients can be completely cured due to recent advancements in diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. However, due to lack of awareness and prejudice about epilepsy, there are still many cases in our country where patients try to hide their disease and do not receive proper professional treatment.

The Pediatric Epilepsy Clinic at Ilsan Paik Hospital provides patient care using recently diverse and developed epilepsy diagnosis and treatment techniques. An accurate diagnosis can be made using cutting-edge testing equipment such as digital electroencephalography, high-resolution MRI, MR Spectroscopy, and PET. In addition to the administration of the latest anti-epileptic drugs, a variety of treatments, including ketogenic diet and vagus nerve stimulation, can be made. We are pursuing improved treatment effects.

A digital EEG test is a test device that records and stores EEG records in a computer system. It is simpler and more convenient than a conventional EEG test because it can output EEG records once performed in a variety of ways at the same time and allows technical problems to be self-corrected. It allows for precise diagnosis.

The ketogenic diet is a treatment for epilepsy that originated in the United States. It is a diet that involves consuming a lot of fat, low carbohydrates, and an appropriate amount of protein to enter a state of ketosis in which excessive production of ketone bodies occurs in the body. It has been recognized as having an excellent therapeutic effect for patients with intractable epilepsy that is not well controlled by antiepileptic drug treatment alone, and is currently widely used around the world. In particular, the effect is better the younger the age, so it is of great help in treating intractable pediatric epilepsy.