Journal of Pediatric and Neonatal Individualized Medicine (Jan 2015)

Seizures-like symptoms in an African child with life-threatening severe upper respiratory tract obstruction

  • Marco Zaffanello,
  • Emma Gasperi,
  • Paolo Biban,
  • Luigi Lubrano,
  • Elena Fiorini,
  • Giorgio Piacentini

DOI
https://doi.org/10.7363/040105
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 1
pp. e040105 – e040105

Abstract

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Obstructive sleep apneas are characterized by episodes of complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep. Symptoms and signs are associated with sleep-related breathing disorders. Sometimes it can be clinically difficult to distinguish abnormal events related to sleep disorders from seizures. We report herein the case of a child with seizures-like symptoms during sleep. Epilepsy was excluded and symptomatology was referred to life-threatening upper respiratory obstruction from tonsils and adenoids hypertrophy that required persistent intubation before surgical removal.

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