Outcomes of low-dose valproic acid treatment in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is characterized by the presence of bilateral myoclonic, generalized myoclonic, tonic–clonic, and (less often) absence seizures. Its prevalence comprises 5–10% of all epilepsies and 18% of genetic (idiopathic) generalized epilepsies [1]. Clinical symptoms occur between 6 and 22 years of age, most frequently during adolescence: age at onset is 13–16 years in half of affected patients [2]. Myoclonic seizures primarily occur between 12 and 18 years of age; these consist of generalized tonic–clonic (GTC) seizures in 80–97% of patients [3].

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