Abstract

Background: Absence epilepsy, an idiopathic, non-convulsive epilepsy, is more common in children and involves brief seizures and sudden loss of consciousness. Childhood absence epilepsy is linked to polygenic inheritance involving T-type calcium channels and genes for -aminobutyric acid receptors. It affects cognitive functions like reasoning and attention. Diagnosis relies on EEG, and treatment with ethosuximide or valproic acid is not always effective.
Subjects and Methods: It is a descriptive cross-sectional design using an online questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the absence of epilepsy among participants in Tabuk City. Data is cleaned in Excel and analyzed in IBM SPSS 29.0.0.
Results: Our study assessed 424 participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the absence of epilepsy. Most were female (248, 58.5%), aged 18-24 years (308, 72.6%), and held a bachelor’s degree (280, 66.0%). A significant portion (253, 59.7%) lacked knowledge about absence epilepsy. The majority of participants (n = 253, 59.7%) had moderate knowledge of absence epilepsy, 31.6% (n = 134) had poor knowledge,
and 8.7% (n = 37) had high knowledge. Attitudes revealed that 65.6% (n = 278) believed individuals with absence epilepsy have behavioral disturbances, while 67.2% (n = 285) thought they could live normal lives. Practices showed 66.0% (n = 280) believed death can result from the absence of epilepsy. Age (p = 0.031) and parental status (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with knowledge, while attitudes were influenced by
age (p = 0.003) and marital status (p = 0.034). Practices were significantly associated with parental status (p = 0.016).
Conclusion: Our study reveals significant gaps in knowledge and persistent misconceptions regarding the absence of epilepsy. Positive attitudes were noted, but overprotectiveness remains. Age and parental status significantly influenced knowledge and practices, highlighting the need for targeted educational interventions to improve understanding and reduce misconceptions, particularly among younger adults and parents.

Key words: Epilepsy, public awareness, Saudi Arabia.