title: Apparent Life-Threatening Events: Patients' Health Status at 5 Years of Age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The long-term significance of apparent life-threatening events (ALTE) has not been thoroughly studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate, at age 5 years, the health status of consecutive children diagnosed with ALTE in infancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the diagnostic workup, patients were classified into two groups: a 'broad' evaluation group (at least one test/procedure related to each of the five main causes: infectious, metabolic, cardiopulmonary, gastroenterological, neurological), and a 'narrow' workup group whose evaluation did not cover all five domains. Health status around age 5 was obtained from hospital records, community clinics and parents/caregivers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 132 children with ALTE. Choking (49.2%) was the most common description, followed by apnea (13.6%), suspected seizure (12.9%), cyanosis (12.1%), breath-holding spell (8.3%), and pallor (3.8%). A broad diagnostic workup was performed in 62.1% of the infants, and a narrow workup in 37.9%. At age 5 years, 56.8% of the children were healthy; 27.3% reported chronic conditions unrelated to ALTE. Twenty-one children (15.9%) had unrelated neurodevelopmental conditions, mostly attention deficit disorder. One of the 132 ALTE patients relapsed and was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A single episode of ALTE in infancy was neither predictive of nor associated with chronic systemic or neurological-disease at age 5 years.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Steiman
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watemberg
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001049:Apnea / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003490:Cyanosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male