ACTH completely controlled seizures in 100% of patients with infantile spasms and 74% with other seizures, compared to 51% and 0% respectively for prednisone.
Does ACTH compared to prednisone improve seizure control in children with seizure disorders?
ACTH is highly effective for controlling infantile spasms and other intractable seizures in children, demonstrating superiority over prednisone.
We treated 116 children with ACTH or prednisone. Fifty-two had infantile spasms with hypsarhythmia, and 64 had other types of intractable seizures. ACTH completely controlled seizures in all patients with infantile spasms and hypsarhythmia and 74% of those with other types of seizures. Prednisone controlled 51% of patients with infantile spasms and none with other seizures. Serious side effects were minimal for both drugs, and recurrent seizures occurred in 40 to 50% of patients within 4 to 14 months after completion of therapy.
Snead et al. (Mon,) conducted a other in Childhood seizure disorders (n=116). ACTH vs. Prednisone was evaluated on Complete control of seizures. ACTH completely controlled seizures in 100% of patients with infantile spasms and 74% with other seizures, compared to 51% and 0% respectively for prednisone.