Clinical characteristics and follow-up of benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis among children

Benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis have a high incidence in the North China, previous reports it has been caused by rotavirus infection, which is a non-febrile convulsion. In recent years, we observed that norovirus infection gradually increased all the years round and most of them are febrile convulsion. Retrospective analysis was performed on 55 pediatric patients with benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis (CWG) who were admitted between January 2010 and January 2015. The median age of the norovirus infection group was greater than that of the rotavirus infection group. Norovirus infection has no obvious seasonality. The peak age of benign CWG onset was less than 3 years (74.5%). In 69.1% of all cases, the temperature was less than 38 °C. In 70.9% of cases, children had experienced more than 2 episodes. In 96.4% of all cases, convulsive episodes were shorter than 5 min. Convulsions mostly occurred within the first 2 days (78.2%) after gastroenteritis tract symptoms. Most episodes featured generalized tonic-clonic seizure (87.3%). Serum Na+ levels were lower while other biochemical test results were normal. Follow-up 2 years attack again (16.8%), intelligence quotient was not reduced. CWG febrile or afebrile occurs most frequently among young children. In addition to the rotavirus, the norovirus might also cause this syndrome. The prognosis is favorable and long-term anti-seizure treatment is considered to be unnecessary.