Risk factors for the co-occurrence of partial epilepsy, cerebral palsy and mental retardation.

A case-control study (64 cases and 209 controls) was carried out to identify risk factors for the co-occurrence of early-onset partial epilepsy, cerebral palsy and mental retardation in children with and without cerebral malformations. History of epilepsy in first-degree relatives, maternal diseases in the two years before pregnancy, placental pathologies, low gestational age, being small for dates, neonatal convulsions and the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation were associated with partial epilepsy, cerebral palsy and mental retardation. A family history of epilepsy in first-degree relatives was surprisingly frequent in both groups, suggesting that genetic factors play an important role for children with and without cerebral malformations.