Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, or DEEs, are types of rare seizure disorders. They most often begin in infancy and are associated with seizures of long duration and major developmental delays.1 The term DEE refers to when brain functions are influenced by seizure activity.2
This is one type of DEE. It refers to those with non-progressive diseases with cognitive impairment and co-existing epilepsy. In these cases, the seizure activity has minimal or no effect on function.2
This term is for patients whose seizure activity has a direct impact on thought processes. Most can revert back to their normal or near normal baseline cognitive state with effective treatment.2
DEEs are rare and also challenging to diagnose and treat. In fact, most are resistant to initial treatment and other treatments are often required. DEEs include, but are not limited to the conditions below:1
