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Epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia (EEM), formerly called Jeavons syndrome, is a generalized epilepsy syndrome (meaning that all areas of the brain are impacted by abnormal electrical activity). Onset of EEM is in childhood and affects girls more than boys. There are three main characteristics of EEM; the first and hallmark symptom of EEM is eyelid myoclonia - a brief but intense and repeated jerking of the eyelids followed by the eyeballs rolling up that may be present with or without absence seizures. The second characteristic is eye closure-induced or bright and/or flickering light-induced seizures or EEG paroxysms, which are abnormal EEG patterns, and the third is photosensitivity.[1] While seizures in EEM may be as short as six seconds, they typically occur many times a day. Around one-third of people with EEM have a positive family history of epilepsy, and, recently, mutations in specific genes have also been found.[1]
Although EEM was first documented in 1977,[2] the condition still is frequently underrecognized and there are delays in diagnosis.[1] EEM is a rare condition and its prevalence (the proportion of people who have EEM at a given time) in people with epilepsy is unclear, but past estimates suggest it accounts for up to 2.7% of people seen at epilepsy centers.[3-5] Currently, EEM is diagnosed using routine EEG, and people with EEM have a unique EEG pattern that is characteristic of this syndrome.[6, 7] The average age of onset of EEM is 6-8 years of age [8, 9]; however, the exact time of seizure onset is difficult to establish, as eyelid jerks are routinely discounted as behavioral mannerisms.[8] Indeed, the average length of time to diagnosis of EEM is reported to be delayed by as much as 9.6 years,[10] and more than 70% of patients were diagnosed with another epilepsy syndrome [10] or tics.[11] The potential for intellectual disability associated with EEM has been reported. Furthermore, issues such as irritability, anxiety, and psychosis may be seen, but knowledge about intellectual ability and psychiatric comorbidities in patients with EEM is limited.[12]
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