RESPIRATORY EPILEPSY - DOES IT EXIST

Past literature suggests a possible relationship between two recurrent illnesses: bronchial asthma and epilepsy. Only one preliminary study, performed 30 years ago, demonstrated epileptiform EEG activity in pat ients with bronchial asthma who were treated successfully for their as thma with antiepileptic drugs. We demonstrated epileptiform activity i n six out of 24 (25%) children with bronchial asthma who had no histor y of neurological illnesses or epilepsy, compared to one out of 24 (4. 2%) children in the control group. This relatively high percentage of EEG abnormalities raises the possibility that there is a subgroup of p atients with bronchial asthma, in whom the asthma might be considered as an 'epileptic equivalent'. These patients possibly deserve a differ ent, unique therapeutic approach. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.