Generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus type 1 (GEFSP1) is an autosomal dominant neurologic disorder characterized by onset of seizures associated with fever in infancy or early childhood. There is wide phenotypic variability, even within families. In contrast to classic febrile seizures (see, e.g., FEB1, 121210), which affect approximately 3% of children under 6 years of age and typically spontaneously remit by age 6 years, patients with GEFSP1 either have febrile seizures extending beyond age 6 years or develop epilepsy with afebrile seizures. Other seizure types include absence seizures, partial seizures, myoclonic seizures, and atonic seizures. Some patients may have developmental delay after the onset of seizures (summary by Wallace et al., 1998 and Singh et al., 1999).
Deprez et al. (2009) reviewed the genetics of epilepsy syndromes starting in the first year of life, and included a diagnostic algorithm.
Genetic Heterogeneity of GEFS+
GEFS+ is a genetically heterogeneous disorder. See also GEFS+2 (604403), caused by mutation in the SCN1A gene (182389) on chromosome 2q24; GEFS+3 (see 607681), caused by mutation in the GABRG2 gene (137164) on chromosome 5q34; GEFS+5 (613060), associated with variation in the GABRD (137163) gene on chromosome 1p36; GEFS+9 (616172), caused by mutation in the STX1B gene (601485) on chromosome 16p11; GEFS+10 (618482), caused by mutation in the HCN1 gene (602780) on chromosome 5p12; GEFS+11 (602477), caused by mutation in the HCN2 gene (602781) on chromosome 19p13; and GEFS+12 (620755), caused by mutation in the SLC32A1 gene (616440) on chromosome 20q11.
Several putative loci have also been identified; see GEFS+4 (609800), mapped to chromosome 2p24; GEFS+6 (612279), mapped to chromosome 8p23-p21; GEFS+7 (613863), mapped to chromosome 2q24; and GEFS+8 (613828), mapped to chromosome 6q16.3-q22.31. [from
OMIM]