Description:
<jats:title>Summary</jats:title><jats:p>Reports of childhood epilepsies in temporal association with vaccination have had a great impact on the acceptance of vaccination programs by health care providers, but little is known about this possible temporal association and about the types of seizures following vaccinations. For these reasons the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">I</jats:styled-content>talian <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">L</jats:styled-content>eague <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content>gainst <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>pilepsy (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">LICE</jats:styled-content>), in collaboration with other <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">I</jats:styled-content>talian <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">s</jats:styled-content>cientific <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">s</jats:styled-content>ocieties, has decided to generate <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">G</jats:styled-content>uidelines on <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">V</jats:styled-content>accinations and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>pilepsy. The aim of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">G</jats:styled-content>uidelines on <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">V</jats:styled-content>accinations and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>pilepsy is to present recent unequivocal evidence from published reports on the possible relationship between vaccines and epilepsy in order to provide information about contraindications and risks of vaccinations in patients with epilepsy. The following main issues have been addressed: (1) whether contraindications to vaccinations exist in patients with febrile convulsions, epilepsy, and/or epileptic encephalopathies; and (2) whether any vaccinations can cause febrile seizures, epilepsy, and/or epileptic encephalopathies. Diphtheria‐tetanus‐pertussis (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DTP</jats:styled-content>) vaccination and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">MMR</jats:styled-content>) increase significantly the risk of febrile seizures. Recent observations and data about the relationships between vaccination and epileptic encephalopathy show that some cases of apparent vaccine‐induced encephalopathy could in fact be caused by an inherent genetic defect with no causal relationship with vaccination.</jats:p>