EFFECTS OF USE OF CELL PHONES ON EEG CHANGES IN CHILDREN WITH EPILEPSY.

Background: Epilepsy has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners as a significant public health problem. Seizures caused by epilepsy are brought on by hyperexcitability and an imbalance between inhibition and excitation. Epilepsy is often misunderstood and difficult to diagnose due to its wide range of symptoms and causes. Aim of the Work: To investigate the effect of use of cell phones on the electroencephalogram (EEG) finding and quantitative EEG analysis among children with epilepsy as well as healthy children. Patients and Methods: This is A case control study that was conducted at Al-Azhar university, Al-Sayed Galal hospital from November 2022 to July 2023. A total of 60 children undergoing EEG evaluation before, during, and after exposure to cell phone radiation, were enrolled in our study. Results: Visual EEG in Epileptic patients showed Ten out of twenty (50%) patients in group A and five out of twenty (25%) patients in group B, developed an abnormal EEG record. Quantitative EEG in Epileptic patients demonstrated significant higher power and faster frequency of theta band compared to healthy individuals before, during and after exposure (P < 0.05). There is a statistically significant inverse correlation between the number of epileptic events detected by visual EEG analysis during exposure to cell phone radiation and age of onset of epileptic fits. Also, there is a statistically significant direct correlation between the number of epileptic events detected by visual EEG analysis during exposure to cell phone radiation and the duration of the disease. Conclusion: The current study showed that the exposure to mobile phone radiation resulted in significant increase in abnormal EEG discharges and epileptiform activity among children with epilepsy. Epileptic patients demonstrated significantly higher power and faster frequency of EEG compared to healthy individuals. In healthy children, the EEG under real MPR exposure showed no abnormal discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]