title: Childhood paroxysmal nonepileptic events.
abstract: We aimed to determine the types and clinical characteristics of paroxysmal nonepileptic events (PNEs) in children. During a 13-year period, 765 patients underwent long-term video-EEG monitoring, and 95 (12.4%) of them were identified to have PNEs. The most common diagnoses were conversion disorder, parasomnias, staring spells, movement disorders, and hypnic jerks. Paroxysmal nonepileptic events originated from physiologic or organic (43.2%) and psychogenic (56.8%) causes. Mean delay in diagnosis was 3.1 years. Mean ages at diagnosis were 8.8 and 13.8 years in physiologic or organic and psychogenic groups, respectively. A marked female predominance was seen in the psychogenic group, whereas males slightly predominated in the physiologic or organic group. In the physiologic or organic group, events were less frequent, longer in duration, and commonly manifested as subtle motor activity, whereas subtle and prominent motor activities were encountered equally in both groups. Concomitant epilepsy was present in 10.5% of the patients. Differences in clinical characteristics may be helpful in differentiating physiologic or organic PNEs in children from psychogenic PNEs.
authors: Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. drunsalyilmaz@yahoo.com
authors: Ünsal
authors: Ü
authors: Yılmaz
authors: Ayşe
authors: A
authors: Serdaroğlu
authors: Esra
authors: E
authors: Gürkaş
authors: Tuğba
authors: T
authors: Hirfanoğlu
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Cansu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000150:complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D014743:Videotape Recording