What is GEFS+?
GEFS+ (Epilepsy with Febrile Seizures Plus) is a form of epilepsy associated with a mutation in the SCN1A gene, although other genes such as GABRG2, SCN1B, and others may also be involved.
GEFS+ зазвичай проявляється в дитинстві – напади часто починаються під час гарячки, але можуть зберігатися і без неї, навіть після 6 років.
❗️Unlike Dravet syndrome, GEFS+ usually follows a milder course:
– development is often normal or only mildly delayed,
– some children have only a few seizures,
– many experience remission in adolescence.
But: GEFS+ is not always a “mild” form.
Some children have frequent seizures, sleep disturbances, behavioral or speech challenges, or myoclonic seizures. It is a spectrum, and the course can be very individual – even within the same family.
📌 Important: treating GEFS+ also requires careful medication selection – some drugs can worsen the condition.
🧬 SCN1A is not only about Dravet syndrome.
We are here to give voice to every form.