Neurometabolic Disorders-Related Early Childhood Epilepsy: A Single-Center Experience in Saudi Arabia.

Data on the pattern of epilepsy caused by metabolic disorders in the first 2 years of life are limited in developing countries. We aimed to identify the metabolic causes of epilepsy presented in the first 2 years of life and to describe their clinical, radiological, molecular, and electroencephalographic characteristics. This retrospective study was conducted between January 2010 and December 2011 at Saad Specialist Hospital (Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia). All patients younger than 2 years at the onset of epilepsy caused by metabolic disorders were reviewed. The International League Against Epilepsy definition was used, and febrile convulsion was excluded. Of 221 children diagnosed with epilepsy in the first 2 years of life at our hospital, 24 had metabolic diseases. The characteristics of these 24 children included the following: consanguinity in 18 patients (75%), developmental delay in 13 (54%), generalized tonic-clonic seizures in 10 (42%), infantile spasms in four (17%), myoclonic in seven (29%), and focal seizures in three. The diagnosis was confirmed by DNA studies in 17 patients (71%) and enzyme assay in seven (29%). The main diagnoses were peroxisomal disorders (n = 3), nonketotic hyperglycinemia (n = 3), Menkes disease (n = 2), neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (n = 2), biotinidase deficiency (n = 2), and mitochondrial disorder (n = 2). The remaining patients had lysosomal storage disease, aminoacidopathy, fatty acid oxidation defects, and organic aciduria. Seizure freedom was achieved in one third of patients in this cohort. Different metabolic disorders were identified in this cohort, which caused different types of epilepsy, especially myoclonic seizures and infantile spasms.

Mohamed S ，El Melegy EM ，Talaat I ，Hosny A ，Abu-Amero KK ... -  《-》

Hereditary neurometabolic causes of infantile spasms in 80 children presenting to a tertiary care center.

Infantile spasms are a devastating infantile epileptic syndrome with multiple etiologies. Hereditary neurometabolic disorders are rarely recognized causes of infantile spasms. The aim of this study was to identify hereditary neurometabolic disorders when they were the cause of infantile spasms in patients presenting to a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia. We conducted a retrospective review of children presenting to the Pediatric Department of King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over a 15-year interval. Eighty patients with infantile spasms were identified. A hereditary neurometabolic disorder was diagnosed in 10 patients (12.5%). Of these patients, two had a Leigh-like disorder and one patient had each of the following diagnoses: ethylmalonic aciduria, nonketotic hyperglycinemia, hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, leukodystrophy, short-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, molybdenum cofactor deficiency, primary carnitine deficiency, and neonatal hypoglycemia due to panhypopituitarism. This article is the first to report the association of the last three conditions with infantile spasms. Compared with the other etiologies, the hereditary neurometabolic disorder group had a strong history of similar disease in the same family (P = 0.002), and most of the patients were born of consanguineous parents (P = 0.021). In addition, a typical hypsarrhythmia pattern was more common in the hereditary neurometabolic disorder group (P = 0.003). Furthermore, this group had a poor response to therapy (P = 0.04). Otherwise, there were no significant differences regarding the type of spasms, neuroimaging or outcome; however, there was a trend toward poorer outcomes and death in the hereditary neurometabolic disorder group. Hereditary neurometabolic disorders are relatively common causes of infantile spasms in this subpopulation of Saudi patients. An early diagnosis via proper metabolic and genetic testing has significant implications for applying specific treatments and for facilitating proper family counseling.

Alrifai MT ，AlShaya MA ，Abulaban A ，Alfadhel M ... -  《-》

Epilepsy and other convulsive disorders in Saudi Arabia: a prospective study of 1,000 consecutive cases.

al-Rajeh S ，Abomelha A ，Awada A ，Bademosi O ，Ismail H ... -  《ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA》

Clinical pattern of newly-diagnosed seizures in Saudi Arabia: a prospective study of 263 children.

Al-Sulaiman AA ，Ismail HM 《CHILDS NERVOUS SYSTEM》

Pattern and etiology of early childhood epilepsy: An Experience at a tertiary care University Center.

To investigate seizure characteristics, types, and define the etiology of epilepsy in children aged ≤2 years using the 2017 ILAE classification. A retrospective chart review was conducted at King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for children below 2 years of age diagnosed with epilepsy, and on anti-seizure medications from January 2017 - December 2018. The collected data involved detailed information on the patients' seizure, electroclinical, neuroimaging, laboratory evaluations, and underlying etiology. One- hundred and fifty patients were included in the study and classified according to etiology into: genetic (43, 28.7%), structural (41, 27.3%), metabolic (10, 6.7%), infectious (8, 5.3%), immune-mediated (1, 0.7%) and unknown (47, 31.3%) groups. The most common seizure types were generalized epilepsy, among which generalized tonic-clonic seizures occurred in 56 (37%) patients, followed by tonic seizures in 31 (21%), infantile spasm in 19 (13%), myoclonic seizures in 4 (2.7%), atonic seizures in 6 (4%), and focal seizures in 33 (22%) patients. Global developmental delay and abnormalities in both neurologic exam and neuroimaging were more common in the structural and genetic groups. Electroencephalography was abnormal in 82 (55%) patients, including the majority of the structural group (26, 63.4%). The etiology of epilepsy in this cohort remains undetermined (unknown) in a large proportion of cases, followed by genetic and structural causes. This result added to the published international data about epilepsy in the first 2-years of life.

Kentab AY ，Al Bulayhi S ，Hamad MH ，Al Wadei A ，Bashiri FA ... -  《Neurosciences》