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Adolescent pertussis-induced partial arousal parasomnia

Tal Eidlitz-Markus1, Avraham Zeharia

  • 1Day Hospitalization Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tiqwa, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. eidlitz@post.tau.ac.il

Pediatric Neurology
|September 26, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Pertussis infection may trigger partial arousal parasomnia in children. Symptoms resolved with pertussis treatment, suggesting a link between the infection and this neurologic complication.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious respiratory infection.
  • Neurologic complications of pertussis are rare in older children.
  • Partial arousal parasomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by incomplete awakenings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate potential neurologic complications of pertussis infection in children.
  • To assess the association between pertussis and partial arousal parasomnia.
  • To describe clinical features, electroencephalographic findings, and outcomes in affected children.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective file review of children (7-18 years) with serology-positive pertussis infection admitted between 1995 and 2005.
  • Inclusion criteria: pertussis diagnosis and presence of neurologic symptoms.
  • Data collection included clinical presentation, electroencephalogram (EEG) findings, diagnosis, and outcome.

Main Results:

  • Six patients (10% of pertussis cases) presented with neurologic symptoms.
  • Ages ranged from 10 to 15.5 years.
  • EEG findings during sleep were negative in all cases; final diagnosis was partial arousal parasomnia.
  • Parasomnia symptoms resolved upon resolution of pertussis infection.

Conclusions:

  • Pertussis infection may induce partial arousal parasomnia in children.
  • The findings suggest a potential causal link requiring further investigation.
  • Larger studies are needed to confirm this association and understand the underlying mechanisms.

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