Particular Features of Neonatal Seizures Populational Study

Raluca Maria Costea, Gabriela Adriana Visa, George Constantin Maniu, Mihai Bogdan Neamtu

The characteristic features of the neonatal seizures is determined by the anatomical and physiological peculiarities of the human brain in the perinatal period. Current data point towards an excessive depolarization as the underlying mechanism of neonatal seizures. We conducted a retrospective population-based study whose objective was to identify the etiologic factors, predisposing and prognostic predictors of neonatal seizures, by recording epidemiological data, data regarding antenatal or perinatal pathology, clinical aspects of neonatal seizures, neurological syndrome severity, and complications during the follow-up. 206 children were enrolled in the study, all with neonatal seizures in their medical records and born in the Sibiu, Medias and Cisnădie Maternity Hospitals between January 1995 and December 2005. The incidence of neonatal seizures was double in males. The postmature male newborns showed a significantly higher birth weight than the female newborns. Although the boys presented an early onset seizure, the average seizure duration was lower. The hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, intracerebral hemorrhage, and symptomatic infections are the primary etiological factors for girls and the metabolic context, for boys. The female gender was associated with increased rates of mortality and morbidity compared to male gender. In the case of late complications, the mental retardation predominates in female gender and the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in male gender .