title: Prenatal and perinatal determinants of neonatal seizures occurring in the first week of life.
abstract: To evaluate prenatal and perinatal risk factors for early neonatal seizures, we conducted a case-control study including 100 newborns with neonatal seizures in the first week of life and 204 controls randomly selected from a list of healthy newborns born in the same hospital during the study period. Generalized tonic seizures were the most common seizures observed (29%), although the majority of newborns (71%) experienced more than one type of seizure. The most frequent presumed etiology of neonatal seizures was hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (30%). A history of epilepsy in first-degree relatives was found only for cases. Neonatal seizures were found to be associated with maternal disease in the 2 years before pregnancy, mother's weight gain > 14 kg during pregnancy, placental pathology, preeclampsia, low birthweight, low gestational age, and jaundice in the first 3 days of life. The need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation was found only for cases (37%). The causal pathways for neonatal seizures often begin before birth, and some of the factors identified may be preventable.
authors.affiliation: E. Litta Rehabilitation Center for Developmental Disabilities, Grottaferrata, Italy. arpinoc@rm.ats.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arpino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Domizio
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Carrieri
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Brescianini
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sabatino
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Curatolo
mesh_terms: D001238:Asphyxia Neonatorum / Q000175:diagnosis*; D020936:Epilepsy, Benign Neonatal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012307:Risk Factors