Epidemiology of self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS): A population study using primary care records

Background and objective

Information on self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS) epidemiology is limited. We aimed to determine the incidence of SeLECTS in children, its association with socioeconomic deprivation and the prevalence of neurodevelopmental comorbidities.

Method

We performed a retrospective cohort study (2004–2017) using anonymised, linked, routinely collected, primary care and demographic data for children in Wales. We used primary care diagnosis codes to identify children (aged 0–16 years) with SeLECTS and other epilepsies and to record antiseizure medication (ASM) prescriptions and neurodevelopmental comorbidities. We used a mixed effects Poisson regression model to determine temporal trends of SeLECTS incidence and its association with socioeconomic deprivation.

Results

We identified 6,732 children with epilepsy, 186 (3%) with SeLECTS. In 2017, epilepsy and SeLECTS prevalence was 0.55% and 0.02% respectively with corresponding crude incidence of 51.2/100,000/year and 1.1/100,000/year. The incidence of epilepsy in children decreased with decreasing deprivation with an adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR) of 0.72 (95% CI 0.64–0.82) in the least deprived compared with the most deprived quintile. The corresponding AIRR for children with SeLECTS was 1.35 (95% CI 0.46–1.99). 34% of children with epilepsy, 18% of children with SeLECTS and 3% of all children in Wales had a neurodevelopmental disorder and or school problems. Half of children with SeLECTS were treated with ASM.

Conclusions

We identified a lower than previously reported incidence of SeLECTS, which may be due to under-recording of SeLECTS. There was no change in the incidence of SeLECTS over time, whilst the incidence of childhood epilepsy overall was decreasing. There was no significant association between incidence of SeLECTS and deprivation but the modest sample size needs to be considered. Children with SeLECTS should be screened for neurodevelopmental and or learning comorbidities. Treatment for SeLECTS remains debatable.