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. 2023 Oct;53(10):3873-3890.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-022-05672-2. Epub 2022 Jul 29.

Factor associated with the occurrence of epilepsy in autism: a systematic review

Eleni Zarakoviti  1 , Roz Shafran  1   2 , David Skuse  1 , Amy McTague  1   2 , Neha Batura  3 , Tom Palmer  3 , Emma Dalrymple  1 , Sophie D Bennett  1   2 , Colin Reilly  4   5
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Factor associated with the occurrence of epilepsy in autism: a systematic review

Eleni Zarakoviti et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

This systematic review aimed to identify factors significantly associated with the occurrence of epilepsy in autistic individuals and to consider the impact of study quality on findings. Electronic databases were systematically searched on October 2nd, 2020 and records retrieved were limited to those published from 2000 onwards. Study quality was categorised as 'good', 'moderate' or 'weak'. Fifty-three studies were included and in studies where the prevalence of epilepsy was reported (n = 257,892), 18,254 (7%) had co-occurring epilepsy. Intellectual disability/cognitive impairment was the most commonly reported risk factor associated with occurrence of epilepsy in autistic individuals. The evidence supporting other, potentially relevant factors was weak and inconsistent and requires further evaluation. Only 9/53 studies were considered 'good' quality.

Keywords: Adults; Autism; Children; Epilepsy; Intellectual disability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prisma Diagram Search process for studies focusing on factors associated with epilepsy in autism
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