Seizures as a Complication of Congenital Zika Syndrome in Early Infancy
- 6 June 2018
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Vol. 98 (6), 1860-1862
- https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.17-1020
Abstract
Zika virus transmission in Brazil was linked to a large outbreak of microcephaly but less is known about longer term anthropometric and neurological outcomes. We studied a cohort of infants born between October 31, 2015, and January 9, 2016, in a state maternity hospital, followed up for 101 ± 28 days by home visits. Microcephaly (< 2 standard deviations, Intergrowth standard) occurred in 62 of 412 (15%) births. Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) was diagnosed in 29 patients. Among CZS patients, we observed a significant gain in anthropometric measures (P < 0.001) but no significant gain in percentile for these measures. The main neurological outcome was epilepsy, occurring in 48% of infants at a rate of 15.6 cases per 100 patient-months, frequently requiring multiple anti-seizure medications. The cumulative fatality rate was 7.4% (95% confidence interval: 2.1–23.4%). Health-care professionals should be alerted on the high risk of epilepsy and death associated with CZS in early infancy and the need to actively screen for seizures and initiate timely treatment.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Health and Development at Age 19–24 Months of 19 Children Who Were Born with Microcephaly and Laboratory Evidence of Congenital Zika Virus Infection During the 2015 Zika Virus Outbreak — Brazil, 2017Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 2017
- Sleep EEG patterns in infants with congenital Zika virus syndromeClinical Neurophysiology, 2017
- Congenital Zika virus syndrome in Brazil: a case series of the first 1501 livebirths with complete investigationThe Lancet, 2016
- Computed Tomographic Findings in Microcephaly Associated with Zika VirusNew England Journal of Medicine, 2016
- Zika Virus and Birth Defects — Reviewing the Evidence for CausalityNew England Journal of Medicine, 2016
- Ocular Findings in Infants With Microcephaly Associated With Presumed Zika Virus Congenital Infection in Salvador, BrazilJAMA Ophthalmology, 2016
- Emergence of Congenital Zika Syndrome: Viewpoint From the Front LinesAnnals of Internal Medicine, 2016
- Risk factors for poor outcome in congenital cytomegalovirus infection and neonatal herpes on the basis of a nationwide survey in JapanPediatrics International, 2013