Epilepsy in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and relation to glutamic acid decarboxylase 65

OBJECTIVE To report if the association of epilepsy in pediatric patients (below the age of 15 years) with Insulin-dependent Diabetes (IDDM) at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) is higher than the prevalence of epilepsy in the same age group (who have no IDDM) in our community. Consequently, we would determine if there is a relationship between the presence of epilepsy in diabetic children and the presence of positive antiGAD65 antibodies. METHODS This cohort study included 305 pediatric patients below the age of 15 years with Insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM). They were randomly recruited at the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic in KFMC. The patients` caregivers were given a questionnaire between December 2015 till March 2019 to determine the seizure disorder history. There was also a retrospective review of 214 patients` files for anti-GAD 65 positivity. RESULTS Our study found a significant relation between the presence of epilepsy in children with IDDM. Therefore, we could confirm the relationship between the existence of epilepsy in children with IDDM and having positive GAD65 antibodies. CONCLUSION Our study supports the presence of consistent relation between having IDDM and having epilepsy in children and between the latter and the presence of positive GAD65 antibodies.