Prognostic Implications of Epilepsy Onset Age According to Relapse Pattern in Patients with Four-Year Remission

A total of 472 epilepsy patients with a 4-year remission period were divided into 10-year age groups according to age of onset. The relapse patterns during at least 3 years of follow-up were classified as early relapse (ER), late relapse (LR), and seizure-free (SF). The remission probability and multiplicity of prognostic factors were evaluated using univariate and multivariate multinomial logistic analyses. The weighted risk score based on odd ratios (ORs) was used for comparisons of the relative risk of relapse between groups. The group with onset in their 20s had the lowest remission probability among the groups. The risks of relapse in the LR patients and the relative weighted risk score of ER patients in the group with onset in their 20s were 3.11 and 19.44, respectively, which was the highest risk among the age groups. Patients without remission within 1 year had the highest relapse risk, with an OR of 7.18 in ER patients. The OR of relapse in patients with >10 generalized tonic–clonic (GTC) seizures was the second most important prognostic factor in LR patients. The distinct risk and corresponding prognostic factors in LR and ER patients reflected inherent differences between these relapse patterns.