Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Epilepsy in Children of the Kazakh Population Receiving Carbamazepine: Identification of Pharmacoresistant Forms

Moldir Dosbolova, Dinmukhamed Nurniyazovich Ayaganov, Svetlana Sakhanova, Altynshash Jaxybayeva, Marzhan Lepessova, Ayazhan Adebietova, Ayten Mamedbayli, Zhanna Zhussupova

2026

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DOI 10.4103/wkmj.wkmj_63_26
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

A BSTRACT Background: Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder in children, significantly affecting quality of life, cognitive development, and social adaptation. Pharmacoresistance remains a major clinical challenge and occurs in approximately 20%–30% of cases. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of epilepsy in children of the Kazakh population receiving carbamazepine, with particular emphasis on pharmacoresistant forms. Materials and Methods: A prospective–retrospective study included 1198 children with epilepsy in the Aktobe region, where the total pediatric population was 317,754. The prevalence of epilepsy was 0.38%. During the prospective phase, 286 patients underwent clinical and neurological examination, electroencephalography, and neuroimaging evaluation. Results: Males predominated among the patients, accounting for 56.5% of cases. The mean age was 9.85 years, and the mean age at seizure onset was 2.99 years. Pharmacoresistant epilepsy was identified in 38.7% of patients. Focal seizures were observed in 67.5% of cases and were significantly associated with pharmacoresistance ( P = 0.031). Electroencephalographic predictors included hypsarrhythmia, detected in 65.2% of cases, and multiregional abnormalities, detected in 42.9% of cases ( P < 0.05). Structural brain abnormalities were found in 40.9% of patients, particularly tuberous sclerosis complex and porencephaly. Conclusion: Pediatric epilepsy in the Kazakh population is characterized by a high rate of pharmacoresistance. Clinical, electroencephalographic, and neuroimaging features may contribute to early identification of pharmacoresistant epilepsy and optimization of treatment strategies.