Prevalence of breath holding spells among children in Gaziantep, Turkey

Abstract

Breath holding spell (BHS) is a paroxysmal non-epileptic disorder. Although it is easy to diagnose in its typical form, the data are insufficient in developing countries. This study was performed in Gaziantep province, Turkey. Two thousand randomly selected 0–6 yr old children were invited to family health centers. A specific questionnaire was administered to parents. Children who had a history of BHS were referred to the hospital for medical history and neurological examinations. Of the 2000 children who had been invited, 1843 (92.15%) participated and remained through to final analysis. Seventy (3.8%) children were diagnosed with BHS. The male to female ratio was 2:1, and the median age was 21 mo (13–29 mo). Based on parents' declarations, cyanotic BHS occurred in 61 (87.1%) children and the age of onset was during the first year of life for 98.5% of the children. We estimated that the prevalence of BHS among children living in Southern Turkey is 3.8%.

Keywords

Breath holding spells - prevalence - children