[Afebrile convulsions and acute gastroenteritis: a more common than expected combination]

Afebrile seizures in association with acute gastroenteritis without electrolyte disturbances have been reported in children from Asiatic countries, but only few references are from Spain. It is a benign, self-limiting process, with no specific examinations or therapy needed. There is no increased risk of epilepsy or impaired neurodevelopment in the children affected. We present five children with seizures during acute gastroenteritis admitted to Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova of Lleida (Spain) between December 2005 and March 2006, during the last seasonal rotavirus outbreak. Patients with febrile seizures, electrolyte disturbances or previous seizures have been excluded. Association between acute gastroenteritis and afebrile benign seizures is also common in our setting, and some cases associated to seasonal rotavirus outbreaks have been published. All papers agree with the good prognosis of this problem. To consider this diagnosis is important in order avoid unnecessary examinations or anticonvulsive therapies.