A Clinical Study of Benign Convulsions Associated with Acute Gastroenteritis / 대한소아신경학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to reveal detailed clinical features of benign childhood convulsions associated with acute gastroenteritis(BCAGE). METHODS: The medical records of 28 patients with BCAGE, who were admitted to the department of pediatrics, Chonnam National University Hospital between March 2000 and October 2004, were reviewed on the aspects of clinical symptoms, diagnostic tests and treatment. RESULTS: The ages of the subjects cases ranged from one to 96 months old and most of them had BCAGE in late autumn and winter seasons. Seizures were developed mostly 2 to 4 days after the symptoms of gastroenteritis appeared. Most of them showed generalized seizures which occurred repetitively during the episode of acute gastroenteritis (mean 2.7+/-0.9 times of the seizures attack), mostly 2-4 times. The duration of seizure was largely below 5 minutes, but in 2 cases it was prolonged over 15 minutes. The Rotazyme tests of stool were positive only in 3 cases(16.7%), and the cerebrospinal fluid and blood examinations revealed normal results. Either brain CT or MRI was performed in 17 patients and variable results were demonstrated. Most of them showed normal or mild brain swelling, but one showed cortical dysplasia of the frontal and parietal lobes, while another one showed cerebrospinal fluid collection in the posterior fossa. 17 patients were treated with diazepam, 12 of whom were prescribed additional phenbarbital or phenytoin. 2 patients who did not take diazepam were administered antiepileptics. Antiepileptic drugs were continuously given to 4 patients for up to one year after discharged from hospital. During follow-up periods, there occurred no further seizures in all the patients. CONCLUSION: BCAGE can be considered as a situation related seizure which does not need any long-term antiepileptic medications.