ABSTRACT
Forty-two children who had Rocky Mountain spotted fever were seen for neurologic and psychologic examination at follow-up. The presence of sequelae was more common in children with severely impaired states of consciousness. Behavioral disturbances and learning disabilities were the most common problems. Seizures, although a common occurrence during acute disease, did not occur as sequelae to Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Subject(s)
Nervous System Diseases/etiology , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/complications , Acute Disease , Adolescent , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/etiology , Child, Preschool , Coma/complications , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infant , Learning Disabilities/etiology , Male , Psychological Tests , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/psychology , Rural Population , Seizures/complicationsABSTRACT
Thirty to 40 percent of children who have a febrile seizure between the ages of six months and six years are at risk for further and more serious febrile seizures and possibly for afebrile seizures. The risk is heightened if the child is less than one year of age and if the seizure lasts more than 20 minutes or is focal rather than generalized. A history of epilepsy in a first-degree relative also increases the risk. The use of long-term phenobarbital therapy is advocated when the seizure is "atypical".
Subject(s)
Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Seizures, Febrile/drug therapy , Seizures/drug therapy , Anticonvulsants/administration & dosage , Child , Humans , Phenobarbital/therapeutic use , Seizures, Febrile/diagnosis , Seizures, Febrile/geneticsABSTRACT
Reviewed are 3 cases of tick paralysis in children each with a different presentation. One child presented with an ascending flaccid weakness, another with weakness and cerebellar signs, and a third with pure cerebellar signs. Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged deer tick, was the offending tick in Case 3 and apparently has not been previously reported to cause paralysis in humans. Because of the potential for a fatal outcome, it is imperative to consider tick paralysis in any child with an ascending flaccid weakness or acute ataxia.
