[Epilepsy in childhood].

With a morbidity of 0.8%, epilepsy in childhood is one of the most frequent chronic diseases of the CNS. Improved diagnostic and therapeutical options of the last two decades made it possible that today 60-70% of the patients are without attacks for a long period and are fully socially integrated. Epilepsy is clinically classified into generalized epilepsies; which are of symptomatic origin in 50% of the cases, and focal epilepsies, which are even more frequent caused by CNS-injuries. The diagnosis of epilepsy results from the synopsis of the clinical picture of the attack and the electro-encephalogram (EEG), in case of doubts from the analysis of the video-EEG. The anti-convulsive drug therapy is undertaken as long-term treatment when free of attacks for 3-5 years and has to be monitored clinically as well as biochemically. The option of epilepsy-surgical procedures in a center of epilepsy should be considered in cases of a resistance to drug therapy. The tight cooperation with the family physician is of great importance for the ambulant epileptic care, others like social service, careers guidance and psychologic service have to be integrated.