PROVOCATION OF THE 1ST EPILEPTIC SEIZURES AND EPILEPTIC REACTIONS

Out of 600 patients who referred to the epileptologist for epileptic seizures that occurred for the first time, 129 developed the first paroxysms in response to different provoking factors. In 59 cases, those factors were estimated as extreme whereas in 29 patients, they precipitated single epileptic paroxysms. In view of this circumstance, the incidence of so-called epileptic reactions diagnosed in 21 patients is under discussion. In the author's opinion, the latter ones may be divided into genuine and complicated reactions, being mainly an intermediate stage toward the epileptic syndrome. The genuine epileptic reactions occur very rarely, they were only recorded in 6 patients. Recommendations are given for the policy of management and treatment of patients with epileptic reactions that occurred for the first time bearing in mind the individual characteristics of the pathology, the patient's personality traits and environmental conditions. The course of the epileptic process that debutted in the form of provoked paroxysms was shown to be much more favourable as compared to that seen in spontaneous seizures.