INFANTILE SPASMS IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN-SYNDROME

The authors retrospectively identified 17 children with Down syndrome who developed infantile spasms, and analysed their etiology, EEG findi ngs, response to medication, development and prognosis. Compared with symptomatic infantile spasms in the general population, which have a p oor prognosis, these patients had a relatively benign outcome with reg ard to seizure control: only three of 16 survivors currently have seiz ures and seven of the 16 currently receive anticonvulsants. Developmen tal outcome was poorest in those with a superimposed hypoxic insult an d in those who regressed developmentally at the onset of the spasms an d did not regain developmental milestones. The overall neurological pr ognosis for children with Down syndrome and infantile spasms appears t o be better than for children with infantile spasms in the general pop ulation.