70%-80% 的特发性癫痫和晚期癫痫发作的儿童预后良好,无神经系统功能障碍的儿童预后也良好。[110]Hauser E, Freilinger M, Seidl R, et al. Prognosis of childhood epilepsy in newly referred patients. J Child Neurol. 1996;11:201-204.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8734022?tool=bestpractice.com 对治疗的快速应答是持续缓解的一个重要预测因素。最重要的预后因素是癫痫发作的病因。[9]Ramos Lizana J, Cassinello Garcia E, Carrasco Marina LL, et al. Seizure recurrence after a first unprovoked seizure in childhood: a prospective study. Epilepsia. 2000;41:1005-1013.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10961628?tool=bestpractice.com
就缓解后或根本无缓解的持续癫痫发作而言,全部癫痫患儿中的 1/3 将出现长期转归不良。[111]Sillanpää M, Schmidt D. Natural history of treated childhood-onset epilepsy: prospective, long-term population-based study. Brain. 2006;129:617-624.https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/129/3/617/390833/Natural-history-of-treated-childhood-onsethttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16401617?tool=bestpractice.com 婴儿期和幼儿期发生的癫痫会有更为严重的病程。
首次癫痫发作后抗惊厥药治疗可降低癫痫复发风险,但无证据显示,首次发作后开始治疗与第二次发作后开始治疗在获得 2 年癫痫发作缓解方面有差异。[39]Hirtz D, Berg A, Bettis D, et al. Practice parameter: treatment of the child with a first unprovoked seizure. Neurology. 2003 Jan 28;60(2):166-75.http://www.neurology.org/content/60/2/166.fullhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12552027?tool=bestpractice.com[112]Leone MA, Solari A, Beghi E; FIRST Group. Treatment of the first tonic-clonic seizure does not affect long-term remission of epilepsy. Neurology. 2006;67:2227-2229.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17190950?tool=bestpractice.com
在首次非诱发性强直-阵挛性发作患者中,立即治疗并不会降低死亡危险,但未实现 5 年缓解的患者死亡危险更高(10 年时达到 6%,20 年时 10%)。[113]Beghi E, Leone M, Vallalta R, et al. Long-term mortality after a first unprovoked tonic-clonic seizure: risk factors and treatment effects. Oral presentations, abstract O6. Regional North American Annual Meeting of the World Federation of Neurology - Research Group on Neuroepidemiology, Toronto; 2010. Neuroepidemiology. 2010;34:274.http://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/310941
在有脑结构性病变或学习困难的患者中,以及一些癫痫综合征(例如,青少年肌阵挛癫痫)病例中,抗惊厥药停用后的复发风险更高。