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Salt poisoning typically results in a feeling of confusion and jitteriness; more severe intoxication can cause seizures and coma. Death can result if medical intervention is not forthcoming. These symptoms are generally a consequence of hypernatremia – an abnormally high sodium level in the blood. (There are myriad causes of hypernatremia ...
BFNS often presents in the first week of life with brief but frequent episodes of tonic-clonic seizures, outside of which a child is completely asymptomatic. [2] [3] [4] During the tonic phase of these seizures, infants may stop breathing and consequently appear blue due to lack of oxygen. Accompanying this is focal or generalized muscle ...
Lower levels of plasma sodium are associated with more severe symptoms. However, mild hyponatremia (plasma sodium levels at 131–135 mmol/L) may be associated with complications and subtle symptoms [14] (for example, increased falls, altered posture and gait, reduced attention, impaired cognition, and possibly higher rates of death). [15] [16]
The body (in particular the brain) adapts to the higher sodium concentration. Rapidly lowering the sodium concentration with free water, once this adaptation has occurred, causes water to flow into brain cells and causes them to swell. This can lead to cerebral edema, potentially resulting in seizures, permanent brain damage, or death.
If the cause of the seizures are unlikely to be easily or quickly corrected, once diagnosis of a seizure is made, the mainstay of treatment is pharmacotherapy with anti-epileptic drugs. Phenobarbital is the first line anti-seizure medication in neonatal seizures, regardless of the cause of the seizure. [4] Phenytoin, levetiracetam, midazolam ...
Hypernatremia (high blood sodium level, above 145 mEq/L) causes thirst, and due to brain cell shrinkage may cause confusion, muscle twitching, or spasms. With severe elevation, seizures and comas may occur. [11] [12] Death can be caused by ingestion of large amounts of salt at a time (about 1 g per kg of body weight). [13]
The key to diagnosis is a family history of similar events and a normal neurological exam. Seizures occur between a few days to a few weeks of life and resolve by 5 months of age (range 5 days to 2 years). An EEG taken between seizures is typically normal. [1] [3] Diagnostic testing is similar to that of self-limited neonatal seizures.
In children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, a fever of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher may lead to a febrile seizure. [25] About 2-5% of all children will experience such a seizure during their childhood. [26] In most cases, a febrile seizure will not indicate epilepsy. [26] Approximately 40% of children who experience a febrile seizure ...