Outcomes of childhood epilepsy at age 33 years: a population-based birth-cohort study.

Purpose: There is uncertainty about health and socioeconomic outcomes of children with epilepsy, knowledge of adult outcomes, and factors associated with adverse outcomes are essential to guide prognosis, improve management, and determine appropriate allocation of resources.

Methods: A subgroup of 101 children with epilepsy (onset ≤ age 16 years) were previously identified and reported from the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS), a national United Kingdom birth cohort study. In the current study we examine outcomes of this unique childhood epilepsy subgroup at age 33 compared to unaffected NCDS cohort members in mental and general health, education and employment, marriage, and parenthood.

Herpes simplex serious neurological disease in young children: incidence and long-term outcome.

Objective: To determine the contribution of herpes simplex virus (HSV) to serious neurological disease.

Setting And Patients: A 3-year prospective survey of children aged 2-23 months in Britain and Ireland.

Results: 19 children had HSV central nervous system (CNS) infection; 13 aged 2-11 months had focal neuroimaging abnormalities and 11 long-term neurological sequelae.

Health care for children from Beveridge to Kennedy: the band plays on.

The Kennedy report "Getting it Right for Children and Young People: overcoming cultural barriers in the National Health Service so as to meet their need" (2010) can be seen in the context of a long line of reforming reports that include Beveridge (1942), Sheldon (1967) and Court (1976). In the last 60 years perinatal and infant mortality has been greatly reduced and immunisation greatly expanded. Currently, however, despite many triumphs, statistics for the delivery of child health-based services in the UK are not as satisfactory as those in comparable European Union countries.

Risk of serious neurologic disease after immunization of young children in Britain and Ireland.

Objective: We sought to investigate the risk of serious neurologic disease after immunization in early childhood.

Methods: The results of a 3-year prospective study of children (2-35 months old) in Britain and Ireland with encephalitis and/or severe illness with convulsions and fever were linked to each child's vaccine history. Cases were reported via the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit's network.