Symptoms of LKS are frequently mistaken for conditions likeautismor deafness.
LKS is characterized by severely abnormal brain activity during sleep.
Seizures for most will stop when they reach their adolescent years.
Nusha Ashjaee / Verywell
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome Symptoms
LKS affects children whose language skills were otherwise developing normally for their age.
The symptoms tend to develop gradually over the course of weeks or months.
Seizures and behavioral changes are also common.
What Causes Landau-Kleffner Syndrome?
Male children are twice as likely to have LKS than female children.
LKS is thought to involve changes in the temporal lobe.
While it is unclear why these changes occur, there is evidence that genetics play a part.
Studies have found that around 20% of children with LKS have a mutation in the GRIN2A gene.
Mutations of the gene can interfere with this and cause nerve signals to misfire.
This might explain why seizures occur but not necessarily the regression of language skills.
How Is LKS Diagnosed?
Even so, there is a set of criteria by which LKS can be definitively diagnosed.
Anticonvulsants
Anticonvulsants, also known as anti-epileptics, are a first-line treatment for LKS.
Some healthcare providers recommend a nightly oral dose ofprednisonecombined with abenzodiazepineto help relieve muscle spasms and seizures at night.
Some people who have had LKS continue to benefit from speech therapy during adolescence and adulthood.
Surgery
Children who have persistent, severe seizures in spite of treatment may benefit from epilepsy surgery.
Epilepsy surgery is considered a last resort after all other treatment options have failed.
What Is the Outlook for a Child With LKS?
LKS often improves over time.
Most children do not continue to have seizures after adolescence and do not need long-term treatment with anticonvulsants.
However, there is a variable degree of recovery from speech and language deficits.
Children treated with corticosteroids or immunoglobulin in the early stages tend to have the best long-term outcomes.
LKS causes the loss of communication skills, behavioral problems, and seizures.
In recent years, it has been cast as part of a spectrum of epilepsy disorders.
The cause of LKS is unknown.
The treatment may involve anticonvulsants, corticosteroids, speech therapy, and even surgery.
Epilepsy Foundation.Developmental/Epileptic Encephalopathy with Spike Wave Activation In Sleep (DEE-SWAS).
National Institutes of Health, Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center.Landau-Kleffner syndrome.
National Organization of Rare Disorders.Landau-Kleffner syndrome.
2009;50 Suppl 7:55-8. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02221.x
