Convulsioni e gastroenterite: un caso che insegna

Abstract

The article reports a case of convulsions with gastroenteritis (CWG) and briefly reviews the related literature. A 2-year-old girl presented with four short episodes of focal afebrile seizures within 12 hours. She had fever with vomiting in the previous 2 days and she developed diarrhoea during her hospital stay, after the fifth seizure. She had no significant past medical history and showed neither neurological signs nor signs of dehydration. Serum electrolytes were normal, cerebrospinal fluid examination was negative for meningoencephalitis and contrast-enhanced CT Brain scan showed no evidence of intracranial lesion. Stool investigation was positive for rotavirus. Therefore, the diagnosis of CWG was made. Repeated convulsions were handled with continuous intravenous infusion of midazolam. The main cause of CWGs in viral gastroenteritis is due to rotavirus or norovirus. The convulsions are usually focal seizure clusters, with secondary generalization. CWGs are associated with a benign prognosis.