[Etiopathogenesis of salaam seizures]

The author reports an analysis of 83 cases of salaam seizures in children from the standpoint of their aetiopathogenesis. In accordance with Jeavons she separates a group with congenital nervous system damage and a group of children who developed initially normally but in whom an acquired factor, most often of allergic character, caused nervous system changes manifesting themselves with salaam seizures. The comparison of both groups demonstrated a number of significant differences. The author believes that it would be wrong to consider all children with salaam seizures as a homogenous group because the only common factor in them is the occurrence of seizures. The author regards that it is insufficient to explain the type of EEG changes and the type of seizures as determined by the degree of nervous system development. Additional factors must exist, and fetal injury is this factor in the group of congenital seizures while in the group of acquired seizures the allergic factor is probably responsible. The isolation of both groups is important mainly from the standpoint of prognosis and treatment since in the group with acquired disease an acute cerebral process is the cause, in contrast to the group congenital damage, and the process is amenable to successful treatment if this treatment is applied sufficiently early. In the congenital group the prognosis is usually unfavourable in view of the underlying cause which is congenital encephalopathy acquired in the first place in pregnancy.