For patients with epilepsy, a genetic diagnosis can guide clinical decisions.1

  • Up to 80% of cases have implications for treatment and management.
  • Patients can experience up to 90% seizure reduction in some cases.

Recommended by clinical guidelines

Exome is recommended as a first-line test for individuals with unexplained epilepsy by the National Society of Genetic Counselors and endorsed by the American Epilepsy Society.2

Exome testing is more likely to find a genetic diagnosis

For patients with epilepsy, the diagnostic rate is significantly higher with exome than it is with multigene panels.3

57% of seizure-related genes are not included on many commercially available epilepsy panels.3

Implications for clinical practice

In a study of 22,616 individuals with seizures:3

75% of patients had genetic testing prior to exome, suggesting that previous tests did not resolve all clinical questions.

36% of patients with diagnostic findings via exome had variants in genes not included on epilepsy panels.

Take a guideline-driven approach.
Start with exome.

*Fictionalized case study for illustrative purposes only

References

  1. Sheidley BR, Malinowski J, Bergner AL, et al. Genetic testing for the epilepsies: A systematic review. Epilepsia. 2022 Feb;63(2):375-387. doi: 10.1111/epi.17141.
  2. Smith L, Malinowski J, Ceuleman S, et al. Genetic testing and counseling for the unexplained epilepsies: An evidence-based practice guideline of the National Society of Genetic Counselors.
    J Genet Couns. 2023 Apr;32(2):266-280. doi: 10.1002/jgc4.1646.
  3. Butler L, et al. Exome-based testing for patients with seizures: Advantages over panel-based testing. Poster presented at American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting; December 2, 2023; Orlando, FL.