Hot-water epilepsy: a new Caucasian case

Hot water epilepsy with pachygyria

“…Hot water epilepsy (HWE) is a benign type of reflex epilepsy [1]. It is classified by the International League Against Epilepsy as a reflex epilepsy in which seizures are provoked by an external stimulus consisting of hot or even warm water [2].…”

Exploring Pre- and Postoperative Profiles of Hot Water Epilepsy: Revisiting Pathogenic Mechanisms

“…27,31 HWE patients most frequently describe an aura of pleasure, though reports have also described euphoria, visual, auditory, and gustatory hallucinations, déjà vu, and feelings of fear. 26,27,31,39 Reported behavioral characteristics of HWE ictal phenomenon includes dazed or confused look, irrelevant speech, and complex oral automatisms 27 ; postictal fatigue and headache are often reported. 27,28,35,39 A characteristic present in HWE that is also seen in other reflexive epilepsies is a tendency for patients to selfinduce seizures either by voluntarily increasing the temperature or amount of water used in bathing or by consciously recalling prior bathing experiences.…”

“…26,27,31,39 Reported behavioral characteristics of HWE ictal phenomenon includes dazed or confused look, irrelevant speech, and complex oral automatisms 27 ; postictal fatigue and headache are often reported. 27,28,35,39 A characteristic present in HWE that is also seen in other reflexive epilepsies is a tendency for patients to selfinduce seizures either by voluntarily increasing the temperature or amount of water used in bathing or by consciously recalling prior bathing experiences. 26,27 Self-induction behavior is observed in 10 to 30% of patients who do so to bring about feelings of ictal pleasure and, in some cases, euphoria.…”

“…8,11 In the adolescent/early adulthood variant, the age of onset is observed to range from 5 years to the late 20s; the seizures are benign and can be well-controlled with changes in bathing habits and antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. 8,31,32,39 The infantile variant has an earlier age of onset, typically within the first 3 years; neurologic development following HWE onset remains unaffected and episodes typically resolve in middle childhood to early adolescence. 11 HWE is believed to have a strong genetic component as it has been shown that 7 to 23% of HWE patients have a family history of epilepsy.…”

¿Es necesario modificar la normativa sobre investigaciones médicas en las que los medicamentos no son el objetivo de estudio? Respuesta de la Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios

“…Suele comenzar antes de los 10 añ os y su distribució n hombre:mujer es de 3:1 4 . Esta distribució n está asociada a factores gené ticos y, principalmente, a los há bitos higié nicos 2,6 .…”