Outcome of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) in children: A 2-year follow-up study

- 90 children with PNES diagnosed on video-EEG were followed for 2 years.
- The 2-year remission rate of PNES in children was 55%.
- Patients with more chronic symptoms of PNES had worse outcome.
- Presence of epilepsy was associated with decreased remission rate for PNES.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the outcome of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) in children seen at a level 4 epilepsy center.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed patients under the age of 18 years who were diagnosed with PNES based on evaluation in the epilepsy monitoring unit and had a follow-up of at least 2 years postdiagnosis. Remission of events was noted at 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months of follow-up, and patient and disease variables affecting outcome were studied.ResultsNinety patients met inclusion criteria (58 females; mean age: 14.03 ± 3.3 years). Thirty-two out of ninety (36%) patients had early (within 6 months) and sustained remission (until 2 years of follow-up) of their events (“favorable outcome”), while 30/90 patients (33%) never achieved remission during the study period (“unfavorable outcome”). The factors that were associated with “unfavorable outcome” included the presence of comorbid epilepsy [12/30 (40%) vs 0/32, p < 0.0001] and prolonged duration of symptoms before establishment of the diagnosis (median 365 days vs 60 days, p < 0.0001). Patient's age, gender, frequency of events, the presence of major psychosocial stressors, and comorbid psychiatric conditions had no significant impact on the disease outcome.ConclusionsAbout a third of children with PNES achieve early and sustained remission of symptoms, while another third continue to manifest seizure-like events until at least two years after the diagnosis. The presence of comorbid epilepsy and prolonged duration of PNES are associated with a poor two-year outcome. Early suspicion and diagnosis of PNES, especially in patients with epilepsy, is essential.