Hypoparathyroidism Revealed by Unsuccessful Anti-epileptic Therapy

Pediatric hypoparathyroidism is an uncommon endocrine disease that can be either isolated or syndromic. It occurs when the secretion of parathormone is insufficient to maintain normal levels of ionized calcium. Patients with hypoparathyroidism can exhibit cerebral calcifications and metabolic disorders, and the severity of such features is inversely correlated with hypocalcemia. We report a case of a 13-year-old patient who was initially diagnosed with epilepsy by another medical team two years before her admission to our hospital and who was subjected to oral valproate therapy. The anti-epileptic therapy proved to be unsuccessful even with increasing doses. The diagnosis was corrected when we performed adequate biological investigations. This case is underlying the importance of the electrolytes profile, especially the serum phosphocalcic test, in the management of patients with new onset or recurrent epileptic seizures.