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[Neonatal familial benign convulsions]
C Mamí1, G Tortorella, R Manganaro
1Istituto di Clinica Pediatrica e Neuropsichiatria Infantile, Università di Messina, Italia.
Insights
Genetic neonatal benign convulsions can run in families. This case highlights a family with recurrent seizures and benign rolandic epilepsy, suggesting this condition may be more common than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Genetics
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Neonatal benign convulsions can have a genetic basis with dominant inheritance patterns.
- Familial occurrence of epilepsy suggests a genetic predisposition.
Observation:
- A female infant underwent continuous EEG monitoring due to family history.
- The infant experienced recurrent clonic seizures starting on day 4, which became prolonged with EEG abnormalities.
- Family history revealed similar neonatal convulsions in her father and siblings, with one sister developing benign rolandic epilepsy.
Findings:
- The described family exhibits neonatal familial benign convulsions.
- A clear pattern of inheritance for benign convulsions is observed within the family.
- Benign rolandic epilepsy manifested in a sibling, indicating a potential link.
Implications:
- The frequency of neonatal familial benign epilepsy may be underestimated in the general population.
- Understanding the genetic basis of these conditions is crucial for accurate diagnosis and management.
- This case underscores the importance of family history in identifying genetic epilepsy syndromes.
Background:
Some neonatal benign convulsions are genetic in origin, with a dominant mode of inheritance.
Case Report:
A girl was placed on continuous EEG recording from her 2d day of life because of her family history. The first clonic seizures occurred on the 4th day; they appeared again on the 6th day and became prolonged with an abnormal EEG pattern. The seizures were well controlled with phenobarbital, that was gradually discontinued when the child was 3 months old. Seizures occurred again when she was 4 months old and were again controlled with phenobarbital. Her father had had neonatal convulsions which were not well analysed. Her brother also had clonic seizures at the 4th day of life; they disappeared after 1 month. Her sister suffered from clonic seizures when she was 3 days old, and these became prolonged. She was given phenobarbital until she was 1 year old. She developed benign rolandic epilepsy at the age of 10 years.
Conclusion:
This family suffers from neonatal familial benign convulsions and rolandic epilepsy. The frequency of neonatal familial benign epilepsy is probably under-estimated.