When teenagers with epilepsy grow up, they need to move from children’s doctors to adult doctors. This can be tricky and sometimes gets missed. Researchers looked at 89 young adults with epilepsy to see if a special transition clinic helped them make this switch smoothly. They found that teens who went through a transition clinic moved to adult care faster and got better health monitoring, especially for vitamin D levels. This suggests that having a planned program to help teens switch doctors might make their care better and less stressful.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Does a special transition clinic help teenagers with epilepsy move from pediatric (children’s) doctors to adult neurologists more smoothly?
  • Who participated: 89 young adults with epilepsy who had grown up and moved to adult care. About 40 of them used a special transition clinic, while 49 did not.
  • Key finding: Teens who used the transition clinic switched to adult care about 5 months faster than those who didn’t. They were also 10 times more likely to have their vitamin D levels checked, which is important for people with epilepsy.
  • What it means for you: If you’re a teenager with epilepsy preparing to see adult doctors, a transition clinic might help you make the switch faster and ensure you get all the right health checks. Talk to your current doctor about whether your hospital offers this service.

The Research Details

Researchers looked back at medical records from 89 young adults with epilepsy at one hospital. They compared two groups: 40 people who had gone through a special Epilepsy Transition Clinic (ETC) designed to help them switch from pediatric to adult care, and 49 people who made the switch without this program. The researchers measured how long the switch took and what health care services each group received before and after moving to adult doctors. They also looked at factors like age, gender, how often seizures happened, and other health conditions to make sure they were comparing similar groups fairly.

Moving from a pediatric doctor to an adult doctor is a big change, especially for teenagers with serious conditions like epilepsy. Without help, some teens might fall through the cracks and not get proper care. This study tests whether a planned transition program can make this change smoother and safer.

This study looked at real medical records from actual patients, which is good. However, it only included patients from one hospital, so the results might not apply everywhere. The study was done after the fact (looking back at old records), which means researchers couldn’t control everything like they could in an experiment. The groups were fairly small, so bigger studies would help confirm these findings.

What the Results Show

Teens who used the transition clinic switched to adult care significantly faster than those who didn’t—about 5 months faster on average. This is important because delays in switching care can lead to gaps where teens don’t see any doctor. The transition clinic group also had much better monitoring for vitamin D levels (10 times more likely to be checked). Vitamin D is especially important for people with epilepsy because some seizure medicines can affect how the body uses vitamin D. The groups were similar in most other ways, but the transition clinic group had slightly fewer seizures on average.

The study found that teens in the transition clinic were more likely to have had serious seizures that didn’t respond well to medicine before switching to adult care. This suggests the clinic might be especially helpful for teens with more complicated epilepsy. The researchers also looked at how often patients visited the doctor and used the emergency room, but didn’t find big differences between groups.

Other research has shown that moving from pediatric to adult care is often difficult for teens with chronic conditions, and many experience gaps in care. This study adds to that evidence by showing that a planned transition program can help. The focus on vitamin D monitoring is new and important, since previous studies haven’t always looked at this specific health check.

This study only looked at one hospital, so results might be different elsewhere. The groups weren’t randomly assigned—some families chose the transition clinic while others didn’t—so we can’t be completely sure the clinic caused the improvements. The study is relatively small with only 89 people. We don’t know if the benefits lasted long-term after the switch to adult care. The study didn’t look at whether teens felt better or had fewer seizures in the long run.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a teenager with epilepsy approaching adulthood, ask your pediatric neurologist if your hospital has a transition clinic. These clinics appear to help you switch to adult care faster and ensure important health checks aren’t missed. (Moderate confidence—based on one hospital’s experience)

Teenagers with epilepsy and their families should care about this. Parents of teens with epilepsy should ask about transition clinics. Adult neurologists might want to know about this approach. Pediatric neurologists should consider starting or improving transition programs. This is less relevant for people with epilepsy who were diagnosed as adults.

The transition clinic helped speed up the switch to adult care, which happened over several months. Benefits like better vitamin D monitoring should start immediately once you’re in the program. Long-term benefits for seizure control would take months to years to see.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your vitamin D levels every 6 months and log them in the app. Also track when you have doctor appointments (pediatric vs. adult) and note the dates to monitor your transition timeline.
  • Set a reminder to ask your doctor about transition clinic options at your next appointment. If enrolled, use the app to track all recommended health checks and appointments to ensure nothing gets missed during the switch to adult care.
  • Create a health timeline in the app showing your move from pediatric to adult care. Track key health metrics like seizure frequency, medication changes, and vitamin D levels before, during, and after the transition. Set monthly reminders to check that all recommended appointments are scheduled.

This research describes one hospital’s experience with a transition clinic for teenagers with epilepsy. While the results are promising, this study is from a single center and cannot be applied to all hospitals or all people with epilepsy. Always consult with your own neurologist or pediatrician about whether a transition clinic is right for you. This information is educational and should not replace professional medical advice. If you have epilepsy or care for someone who does, work with your healthcare team to develop a transition plan that meets your specific needs.