RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Para-infectious seizures are afebrile convulsions that are associated with banal infectious processes and have a good overall prognosis. AIM: To determine the natural history of para-infectious seizures in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of children who were admitted to our hospital between January 2000 and January 2005 with seizures associated to an infectious process that did not satisfy the criteria of febrile seizures. Data collected included age, sex, season of the year, personal and familial history, type of infection, symptoms of the seizures, complementary examinations, treatments that were used and progression. RESULTS: The sample finally included 22 girls and 12 boys with ages ranging from 6 to 38 months (mean: 20.26 +/- 8.29 months) and previous psychomotor development was seen to be normal. Three of them had a family history of epilepsy and three others had suffered previous febrile seizures. Twenty-three children developed seizures associated to gastroenteritis and in 11 cases they were linked to upper respiratory infections. The average interval between onset of the infection and seizures was 2.26 days, and the average number of seizures was 3.38. Eight patients had recurring seizures (23.5%), usually in the form of para-infectious or febrile seizures, and secondary seizures were observed in only one case. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to be familiar with this condition because many of these patients are initially diagnosed with an encephalitic syndrome. These seizures are usually associated with gastroenteritis, with cluster seizures and with normal later psychomotor development. The risk of developing secondary seizures developmentally is low.
Assuntos
Convulsões/microbiologia , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Estudos Retrospectivos , Convulsões/diagnóstico , Convulsões/tratamento farmacológicoRESUMO
Las crisis parainfecciosas son crisis convulsivas afebriles que se asocian a procesos infecciosos banalesy tienen un buen pronóstico global. Objetivo. Conocer la historia natural de las crisis parainfecciosas en el niño. Pacientes y métodos. Estudio retrospectivo de los niños ingresados en nuestro hospital entre enero de 2000 y enero de 2005 con crisis convulsivas asociadas a un proceso infeccioso que no cumplían los criterios de las crisis convulsivas febriles. Se analizaron:edad, sexo, estación del año, antecedentes personales y familiares, tipo de infección, la semiología de la crisis, las exploraciones complementarias, tratamientos empleados y la evolución. Resultados. Se encontraron 22 niñas y 12 niños con edades comprendidas entre 6 y 38 meses (media: 20,26 ± 8,29 meses) con un desarrollo psicomotor previo normal. Tres de ellos tenían antecedentes familiares de epilepsia y tres más presentaban crisis febriles previas. Veintitrés niños desarrollaron crisis convulsivas asociadas a una gastroenteritis y 11 a una infección del tracto respiratorio superior. El intervalo promedioentre el inicio de la infección y la crisis fue de 2,26 días, y el número promedio de crisis, de 3,38. Ocho pacientes presentaron recurrencia de las crisis convulsivas (23,5%), habitualmente como crisis parainfecciosas o crisis febriles, y tan sólo en un casocomo crisis no provocadas. Conclusiones. Es importante conocer esta entidad dado que a muchos de estos pacientes se les diagnostica inicialmente síndrome encefalítico. Estas crisis suelen asociarse a gastroenteritis, con agrupación de crisis y conun desarrollo psicomotor posterior normal. El riesgo de presentar crisis no provocadas de forma evolutiva es bajo
Para-infectious seizures are afebrile convulsions that are associated with banal infectious processesand have a good overall prognosis. Aim. To determine the natural history of para-infectious seizures in children. Patients and methods. We conducted a retrospective study of children who were admitted to our hospital between January 2000 and January 2005 with seizures associated to an infectious process that did not satisfy the criteria of febrile seizures. Datacollected included age, sex, season of the year, personal and familial history, type of infection, symptoms of the seizures, complementary examinations, treatments that were used and progression. Results. The sample finally included 22 girls and 12boys with ages ranging from 6 to 38 months (mean: 20.26 ± 8.29 months) and previous psychomotor development was seen to be normal. Three of them had a family history of epilepsy and three others had suffered previous febrile seizures. Twenty-three children developed seizures associated to gastroenteritis and in 11 cases they were linked to upper respiratory infections. Theaverage interval between onset of the infection and seizures was 2.26 days, and the average number of seizures was 3.38. Eight patients had recurring seizures (23.5%), usually in the form of para-infectious or febrile seizures, and secondaryseizures were observed in only one case. Conclusions. It is important to be familiar with this condition because many of these patients are initially diagnosed with an encephalitic syndrome. These seizures are usually associated with gastroenteritis, withcluster seizures and with normal later psychomotor development. The risk of developing secondary seizures developmentally is low
