Caregiver-Reported Epilepsy Management in Juvenile-Onset Huntington Disease.

BACKGROUND

Pediatric patients with Huntington disease (HD) present differently from adult-onset HD. In particular, the adult population experiences seizures at the same rate as the general public (∼1%), whereas seizures occur in approximately 30-50% of patients with juvenile-onset Huntington disease (JHD) and can be a presenting symptom. There have been many advances in epilepsy care including development of new antiseizure medications and expanded electroencephalography (EEG) modalities, but it is uncertain whether these advances are being utilized in the current care of patients with JHD.

METHODS

An anonymous, caregiver-reported electronic survey was undertaken from January 2024 to September 2025. Patient advocacy groups, providers, and professional organizations aided in distribution through direct conversation, flyers, emails, and social media.

RESULTS

There was a total of 12 respondents with JHD and seizures, of which 2 (16.7%) reported seizure as the presenting symptom. Types of seizures varied and multiple types could be present in the same individual. Staring spell seizures were the most reported. Valproic acid was the most commonly used antiseizure medication. Use of home ambulatory EEG and in-hospital long-term video EEG were reported. No child was being treated by an epileptologist.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite advances in epilepsy management, older medications requiring lab monitoring and with greater side effect risks continue to be used most often in JHD. Long-term video EEG modalities were used, which for patients with JHD, can be informative for differentiating movement disorder from seizure. Future prospective longitudinal natural history studies of epilepsy in JHD will be needed to best inform clinical practice.