Question

Symptom Description: Generalized convulsions, increased heart rate. Previous Treatment and Effectiveness: The baby experienced this condition shortly after birth. What kind of help is needed: Is this condition a case of neonatal epilepsy?

Answer

Neonatal epilepsy refers to epilepsy that occurs within the first 28 days after birth. It can be caused by various factors, including prenatal, delivery, and postpartum factors. Prenatal factors include abnormal brain development in the fetus, fetal vascular occlusion, prenatal fetal infection, maternal use of hormones, narcotics, and alcohol during pregnancy leading to congenital metabolic defects in the fetus, as well as maternal illness during pregnancy and genetic seizures. Delivery factors include various birth injuries, intracranial or extracranial infections in the fetus, and accidental injection of anesthetic into the baby’s scalp during difficult labor. Postpartum factors include metabolic disorders, postpartum infection, intracranial hemorrhage, hypoxemia-ischemic encephalopathy, with perinatal asphyxia being the most common cause followed by metabolic abnormalities and birth injuries. The incidence of this condition is relatively high, at about 1.5%-3%, with the first peak occurring within the first three days after birth and the second peak between days 4-14. The condition is classified into four types based on clinical manifestations: minor type, clonic type, tonic type, and myoclonic type. The minor type has subtle clinical manifestations and may include one or more of the following: mouth-cheek-tongue movements, tonic deviation of the eyes with or without nystagmus, repetitive eyelid blinking, drooling, suckling actions, cyclic movements of the limbs, and changes or pauses in breathing rate.