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Updated: Aug 8, 2025
Continuous Video Electroencephalogram during Hypoxia-Ischemia in Neonatal Mice
Published on: June 11, 2020
The role of metabolic diseases in neonatal convulsions
S Samanci1, M Celik, O Akdeniz
1Department of Pediatrics, Diyarbakir Children's Diseases Hospital, Yenisehir, Diyarbakir, Turkey. samanciserhat@hotmail.com.
Insights
Neonatal seizures, often caused by hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, require urgent care. This study found a high rate of congenital metabolic diseases, suggesting their importance in neonatal convulsions.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Pediatric epilepsy
- Clinical genetics
Background:
- The neonatal period is critical for brain development, with seizures indicating potential serious damage.
- Neonatal seizures are a neurological emergency requiring prompt diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the causes of neonatal convulsions.
- To determine the prevalence of congenital metabolic diseases in infants experiencing seizures.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 107 infants (0-28 days old) treated in a neonatal intensive care unit from 2014-2019.
- Data collected from hospital information systems and patient files.
- Included term and preterm infants.
Main Results:
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy was the most frequent cause of seizures (34.5%).
- Congenital metabolic diseases were diagnosed in 13.1% of infants screened.
- Seizures predominantly occurred within the first week of life (66.3%).
Conclusions:
- While hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is a primary cause, congenital metabolic diseases are notably prevalent.
- Autosomal recessive inheritance patterns were observed in detected metabolic diseases.
Objective:
The neonatal period is the most vulnerable time for the development of seizures, particularly in the first weeks after birth. These seizures often signify serious malfunction or damage to the immature brain and constitute a neurological emergency, necessitating urgent diagnosis and management. This study was performed to identify the etiology of convulsions during the neonatal period and to determine the rate of congenital metabolic disease.
Patients And Methods:
A total of 107 term and preterm infants 0-28 days old who were treated and followed-up in the neonatal intensive care unit of our hospital between January 2014 and December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively based on data obtained by scanning the hospital information system and patient files.
Results:
The study population included 54.2% male infants, and 35.5% of infants were born by caesarean section. Birth weight was 3,016 ± 560 (1,300-4,250) g, mean length of gestation was 38 (29-41) weeks, and mean maternal age was 27.4 ± 6.1 (16-42) years. Of the infants, 26 (24.3%) were preterm and 81 (75.7%) were term deliveries. Examination of family history revealed 21 (19.6%) cases with consanguineous parents and 14 (13.1%) cases with a family history of epilepsy. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy was the most common etiology of the seizures (34.5%). Burst suppression was detected on amplitude integrated electroencephalography in 21 (56.7%) monitored cases. Although subtle convulsions were most common, myoclonic, clonic, tonic and unclassified convulsions were also observed. The convulsions appeared during the first week of life in 66.3% of cases and during the second week or later in 33.7%. Fourteen (13.1%) patients examined by metabolic screening due to suspected congenital metabolic disease had a different congenital metabolic diagnosis.
Conclusions:
Although hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy was the most common cause of neonatal convulsions in our study, congenital metabolic diseases with autosomal recessive inheritance were detected at a high rate.
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