A Clinical Study on Benign Convulsions with Mild Gastroenteritis

Cho, Jung Il; Kim, Dong Wook; Jang, Hyun Oh; Moon, Jin Soo; Nam, Seung Yeon; Lee, Chong Guk

Abstract

PURPOSE
'Benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis(BCwMG)' is afebrile seizures associated with gastroenteritis without dehydration or electrolyte imbalance in young children aged almost 6 months to 3 years. Because seizures can occur repeatedly, patients can be misdiagnosed with epilepsy. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of this disease is thought to be important. This study was carried out to investigate the clinical features of the disease.
METHODS
From January, 2000 to December, 2003, 17 patients with BCwMG visited the Emergency Department, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital. We reviewed the clinical features of seizures, age and sex distribution, laboratory findings and follow-up results.
RESULTS
Out of 17 patients with BCwMG, 13 were boys and five girls. Of 17 patients, 14(82.4%) patients were between 1 and 2 years of age. Generalized seizure was observed in all 17 patients. The duration of seizure was between 10 seconds and 10 minutes. Mean seizure frequency was 1.9 times(range, 1-5 times). Two or more seizures occurred in 10 patients(58.8%). All patients had seizures after the onset of gastroenteritis. All episodes occurred within the first five days of gastroenteritis. Rotavirus antigen was positive in stools in eight out of 12 patients(66.7%). Thirteen patients displayed normal psychomotor development at the last follow-up. No patient exhibited a the recurrence of seizures, except for one patient who had a febrile convulsion.
CONCLUSION
Our results exhibited that BCwMG is characterized by seizures that are mostly brief and generalized and a cluster of episodes in those aged 1 to 2 years. Seizures occurred within the first three days of gastroenteritis. The proportion of positive rotavirus antigen was more than half.