Treatment of adult patients with childhood-onset epilepsy by child neurologists

A significant number of patients with childhood-onset epilepsy continue to be treated by child neurologists after reaching adulthood. In this article, the issue of these so-called carry-over cases is discussed based on the results of two studies: our previous study on carry-over patients at the Department of Child Neurology, Okayama University Hospital, and a questionnaire survey on carry-over cases by the Japan Epilepsy Society. These two studies revealed that child neurologists currently treat many carry-over epilepsy patients in Japan, and that these patients, even those who have low seizure frequencies or are in remission, suffer from many problems such as comorbidities and socioeconomic difficulties. To ameliorate these problems, a comprehensive care system should be established, based on cooperation between various kinds of doctors and comedical staff members.