pediatrics
Neonatal Seizure Disorders
Etiology of Neonatal Seizure Disorders
The abnormal central nervous system (CNS) electrical discharge may be caused by a Primary intracranial process (eg, meningitis, ischemic stroke, encephalitis, intracranial hemorrhage, tumor, malformation) Systemic problem (eg, hypoxia-ischemia, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, hyponatremia, other disorders of metabolism) Seizures resulting from an intracranial process usually cannot be differentiated from seizures resulting from a systemic problem by their clinical features (eg, focal vs generalized). the most common cause of neonatal seizures, may occur before, during, or after delivery (see Overview of Perinatal Respiratory Disorders ). Such seizures may be severe and difficult to treat, but they tend to abate after about 3 to 4 days. When neonatal hypoxia is treated with therapeutic hypothermia (usually whole-body cooling), seizures may be less severe but may recur during rewarming. Ischemic Stroke None Overview of Neonatal Infections None Neonatal Hypoglycemia None Intracranial Hemorrhage in Neonates , Neonatal Hypernatremia None Neonatal Hyponatremia None Neonatal Hypocalcemia None Hypomagnesemia None Introduction to Inherited Disorders of Metabolism None Overview of Congenital Neurologic Anomalies None Social and Illicit Drugs During Pregnancy None Neonatal seizures may be familial; some have genetic causes. Benign familial neonatal convulsion is a potassium channelopathy inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (Ohtahara syndrome) is a rare disorder associated with a variety of mutations. 