Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences

Evaluating the Effects of Medication on the ESES Patterns and Autism Traits in Non-Epileptic Children with ASD in Bandar Abbas, Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hashem Lashgari 1
Shima Imannezhad 2
Raziye Najafabadi Pour 1
Fateme Fazli 3

1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

2 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Torbat Heydarieh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran

https://doi.org/10.34172/jkmu.3875
Abstract
Background: Autism is a disorder that affects brain development, causing difficulties in social interaction, communication, and interests. ESES is a sleep-related condition linked to autism. This study examines the epileptic conditions in autistic children, their clinical response, and brain wave normalization following medication treatments.
Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on children with autism who had initial EEG abnormalities during sleep. The children were divided into three distinct groups, each administered different medications. A pediatric neurologist monitored the children’s autistic symptoms using ESES assessments over a period of 6 months. Ultimately, the effect of different medications on improving the children’s autistic symptoms and EEG patterns was evaluated.
Result: Out of the 29 patients who participated in this study, 6 (20.7%) were completely removed from the autism spectrum, 21 (72.4%) showed a clinical response of more than 50%, and 2 (6.9%) did not show any clinical response. Additionally, the group administered sodium valproate showed the greatest improvement compared to the other groups. Regarding the final EEG results, 3 cases (10.3%) showed complete normalization, 24 cases (82.8%) exhibited suitable changes, and 2 cases (6.9%) remained unchanged. However, these changes were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that sodium valproate and corticosteroids can improve EEG alterations in ESES and, as a result, reduce children’s autistic symptoms. However, due to the lack of statistical significance in the data, it is suggested that additional trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods be conducted to obtain more reliable results.

Highlights

Raziye Najafabadi Pour (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Keywords

Autism spectrum disorders
Electroencephalography
Status epilepticus
Pediatric
Subjects
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Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences
Volume 32
Pages 1-7

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