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Seizures in children following an apparent life-threatening event

Joshua L Bonkowsky1, Elisabeth Guenther, Rajendu Srivastava

  • 1Division of Pediatric Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, USA. joshua.bonkowsky@hsc.utah.edu

Journal of Child Neurology
|March 18, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Infants experiencing apparent life-threatening events have a 5.3% risk of seizures and 3.6% risk of chronic epilepsy. Early diagnosis and brain imaging are crucial for identifying epilepsy risk in these infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epileptology
  • Neonatology

Background:

  • The relationship between apparent life-threatening events (ALTEs) and subsequent seizure development in infants is not well-established.
  • Limited data exists on the long-term epilepsy outcomes for infants experiencing ALTEs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively characterize infants hospitalized for ALTEs who subsequently develop seizures.
  • To identify risk factors and clinical characteristics associated with chronic epilepsy following an ALTE.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of infants hospitalized for ALTE.
  • Evaluation of seizure development and chronic epilepsy diagnosis post-ALTE.
  • Analysis of clinical data, including neuroimaging and developmental assessments.

Main Results:

  • Of 471 infants with ALTE, 5.3% experienced seizures and 3.6% developed chronic epilepsy.
  • Abnormal MRI and developmental delay were associated with chronic epilepsy.
  • 47% of epilepsy cases were diagnosed within one week of the ALTE.
  • Cortical dysplasias were identified as a significant cause (12%) of epilepsy.

Conclusions:

  • A notable percentage of infants with ALTE develop seizures and chronic epilepsy.
  • Early seizure diagnosis and neuroimaging are important for identifying infants at risk.
  • The etiology of chronic epilepsy post-ALTE often remains unknown, highlighting the need for further research.

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