Abstract
Epileptic encephalopathies are age-dependent conditions, typically drug resistant,
characterized by severe cognitive impairment due to the epileptic activity itself.
Corticosteroid therapy with adrenocorticotrophic hormone, hydrocortisone, prednisone
or methylprednisolone is one of the therapeutic approaches tried in these children.
Although the first use of steroids as antiepileptic drugs dates back to 1950, there
is no wide agreement about the ideal treatment regimen in epileptic encephalopathies
other than West syndrome; no evidence from class I and II studies are available at
the moment. In this study, we present a literature review on steroid therapy in childhood
epilepsy with special regard to effectiveness, tolerability and possible mechanisms
of action.
Keywords
Epileptic encephalopathy - ESES - CSWS - ACTH - steroids
