Antibody Blood Tests Found Little In Children With Epilepsy

Source: Brain & development

Summary

This study looked at whether certain blood antibodies linked to the immune system could be found in children with focal epilepsy. The researchers tested 44 children for several known antineuronal antibodies. They divided the children into two groups: one with epilepsy tied to clear structural or genetic causes, and another with epilepsy linked to past brain injury or illness, such as encephalitis, low oxygen, or hippocampal sclerosis, where immune-related effects might play a role.

The researchers did not find any of the main antineuronal antibodies in any of the children. A low level of one antibody, called anti-GAD, was seen in five children, but the authors did not think it was meaningful. They also used a clinical checklist called the APE score. Children in the second group tended to have higher APE scores, and 4 of 24 in that group had scores suggesting a possible immune-related cause, while none in the first group did.

This matters because it suggests that routine blood screening for these antibodies may not be very useful in children with long-term focal epilepsy. At the same time, a clinical scoring tool may help identify which children are more likely to have an immune-related form of epilepsy and may be better candidates for testing. The study was small, looked only at blood and not spinal fluid, and included children with chronic epilepsy, so the results may not apply to all children with seizures.

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