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What Causes Fits In An Infant?
Question: Hi,
My Son who is 17 months old had fits for about 90 mins before a week. I admitted him and they took all types of tests starting from lumbar puncture, MRI and other blood tests too. All the tests returned as negative , but scan report shows inflammation in brain in 4 or 5 places. Doctors have been treating him since then but cannot find what caused the brain inflammation. He is very aggressive when awake and doctors have to give sleeping dose for the past 1 week. He cannot identify his parents. Today he developed complications in breathing and did not breath for about a minute before the doctors come in. What could have caused this? What is the right treatment for this?
My Son who is 17 months old had fits for about 90 mins before a week. I admitted him and they took all types of tests starting from lumbar puncture, MRI and other blood tests too. All the tests returned as negative , but scan report shows inflammation in brain in 4 or 5 places. Doctors have been treating him since then but cannot find what caused the brain inflammation. He is very aggressive when awake and doctors have to give sleeping dose for the past 1 week. He cannot identify his parents. Today he developed complications in breathing and did not breath for about a minute before the doctors come in. What could have caused this? What is the right treatment for this?
Brief Answer:
Please upload Medical documents/MRI report showing inflammation.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX
Thanks for being on healthcaremagic.com.
I am Dr.Ajay Panwar,a neurologist,here to answer your query.
Surely,I can assume the emotional pain you are going through presently and I wish that your son gets better.May God bless him.
With the clinical description you have given,I can assume that he might have had some airway obstruction due to secretions or he may had it because of neurological insults.These are however,just assumptions,with the kind of clinical setting you have mentioned.Is he on advanced airway-like endotracheal intubation with ventilator?Is he on basic airway like face mask or nasal prongs with oxygen?
I shall really appreciate if you can please upload all the medical documents available with you including MRI(images and reports).That will make a better sense and I shall be able to answer your query better.
Please follow-up with answers to the questions I asked and the documents uploaded.
Waiting for your follow-up.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Please upload Medical documents/MRI report showing inflammation.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX
Thanks for being on healthcaremagic.com.
I am Dr.Ajay Panwar,a neurologist,here to answer your query.
Surely,I can assume the emotional pain you are going through presently and I wish that your son gets better.May God bless him.
With the clinical description you have given,I can assume that he might have had some airway obstruction due to secretions or he may had it because of neurological insults.These are however,just assumptions,with the kind of clinical setting you have mentioned.Is he on advanced airway-like endotracheal intubation with ventilator?Is he on basic airway like face mask or nasal prongs with oxygen?
I shall really appreciate if you can please upload all the medical documents available with you including MRI(images and reports).That will make a better sense and I shall be able to answer your query better.
Please follow-up with answers to the questions I asked and the documents uploaded.
Waiting for your follow-up.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
He is now having a face mask for oxygen. I am uploading the reports now.
Brief Answer:
Possibly,the reasons, as I have already mentioned for breathing difficulty.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX
Thanks for being in follow-up.
I have gone through the documents you have uploaded.MRI Brain shows 'diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement' while CSF study is normal.Though,MRI is suggestive of Meningitis but this possibility is negated by the CSF study.
At this point,with such a short history,and MRI picture-infectious meningitis appears to be the first possibility,although,CSF study is normal which does not go with it.Probably,presently,he should be on antibiotics as well as antivirals.CSF analysis should be repeated with evaluation for Tuberculosis(TB PCR) and Fungus (KOH mount and Fungus antigen/culture)in the CSF.Please discuss with your treating doctors for repeat CSF.
Breathing difficulty was most likely due to secretions causing airway blockage or may be a transient tongue fall.So,these are just most possible causes.Your treating doctor can best tell about it.
Hope that I have answered your query.If you have some follow up questions,I shall be glad to answer else,please close the thread-rate it and write a review as your rating will be of help to me.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Possibly,the reasons, as I have already mentioned for breathing difficulty.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX
Thanks for being in follow-up.
I have gone through the documents you have uploaded.MRI Brain shows 'diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement' while CSF study is normal.Though,MRI is suggestive of Meningitis but this possibility is negated by the CSF study.
At this point,with such a short history,and MRI picture-infectious meningitis appears to be the first possibility,although,CSF study is normal which does not go with it.Probably,presently,he should be on antibiotics as well as antivirals.CSF analysis should be repeated with evaluation for Tuberculosis(TB PCR) and Fungus (KOH mount and Fungus antigen/culture)in the CSF.Please discuss with your treating doctors for repeat CSF.
Breathing difficulty was most likely due to secretions causing airway blockage or may be a transient tongue fall.So,these are just most possible causes.Your treating doctor can best tell about it.
Hope that I have answered your query.If you have some follow up questions,I shall be glad to answer else,please close the thread-rate it and write a review as your rating will be of help to me.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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