Nonconvulsive status epilepticus can present with several manifestations, many of which might not be obvious. The most important for the diagnosis of nonconvulsive status epilepticus is the electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern. This is a case report of a 9-year-old boy with severe and continuous headache. He received chemotherapy for histiocytosis and was diagnosed at 3.5 years. He had no evidence of central nervous system histiocytosis involvement or drug toxicity. He was diagnosed with nonconvulsive status epilepticus. Headache and EEG anomaly disappeared completely when anticonvulsant therapy was begun. Headache and seizure disorder can coexist, but this might be the first report of nonconvulsive status epilepticus with headache as a sole manifestation.
Migraine headaches are common in children. Early diagnosis and appropriate interventions are mandatory to prevent decades of suffering and diminished quality of life. There is need for data regarding the efficacy and safety of prophylactic agents in children with migraine; therefore, we designed a randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy and safety of cinnarizine with that of a well-known prophylactic agent (propranolol) in the prophylaxis of pediatric migraine headache. A total of 120 patients aged between 6 and 17 years were recruited and 113 patients succeeded in completing all phases of the trial. Of them, 57 patients were given cinnarizine, and propranolol was administered in 56 patients. Reduction in headache frequency was the main response to treatment. Cinnarizine reduced the baseline headache frequency by more than 50% in 74.6% of patients and the mean headache frequency per month was reduced from 11.851 ± 0.739 (mean ± SEM) to 3.358 ± 0.739 (mean ± SEM) attacks per month (P < 0.001). In the propranolol group, more than 50% reduction of the baseline headache frequency was seen in 72.5% of patients and the mean headache frequency per month was reduced from 10.264 ± 0.830 (mean ± SEM) to 2.774 ± 0.830 (mean ± SEM) attacks per month (P < 0.001). No significant difference was seen in 50% reduction of the baseline headache frequency between treatment groups (P = 0.358). No significant adverse effects were reported. In this open study, cinnarizine appeared thus as effective as propranolol and safe for the prophylaxis of migraine in children, but this remains to be confirmed in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
Nonconvulsive status epilepticus may present with several manifestations, and many of them may not be obvious. The most important for the diagnosis of nonconvulsive status epilepticus is the electroencephalogram pattern. This is a case report of a 9-year-old boy with severe and continuous headache. He received chemotherapy for histiocytosis that was diagnosed when he was 3 years, 6 months years old. He had no evidence of central nervous system histiocytosis involvement or drug toxicity. He was diagnosed with nonconvulsive status epilepticus. The headache and electroencephalogram anomaly disappeared completely when anticonvulsant therapy began. Headache and seizure disorder may coexist, but this may be the first report of nonconvulsive status epilepticus with headache as a sole manifestation.
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