Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) was first characterized by Dr. William G. Lennox as a form of epilepsy known as a "Petit mal variant." In 1966, the Marseille School in France provided a more detailed description of the syndrome. Dr. Henri Gastaut and his colleagues introduced the term "Lennox syndrome" to refer to a type of epilepsy that begins in childhood and is characterized by recurrent tonic and absence seizures. In 1989, the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) issued a more precise diagnosis of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS). The illness is categorized as an epileptic encephalopathy, which means that the epileptic activity has a role in causing cognitive and behavioral abnormalities.
Epidemiology
The prevalence of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) is estimated to be between 1% and 2% of all epilepsy patients, and between 1% and 10% of childhood epilepsies. This wide range is likely due to variations in diagnostic criteria and research settings across different studies.