[Epilepsy and sleep as seen on video encephalographic recordings]. / Epilepsia y sueño a través de la evidencia del registro vídeo-EEG

INTRODUCTION: The relation between epilepsy and sleep has been known for some time. Seizures are often not observed by the examiner and it is necessary to make prolonged recordings during sleep, both slow or no REM sleep and paradoxical or REM sleep. Objective. To show the way in which a video recording may be made of a patient s seizures, together with an electroencephalogram recorded on a suitable disk and both sets of data be synchronised and studied as often as necessary. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We describe some of the epileptic seizures, recorded by this technique, during sleep. At the same time we show other paroxystic non epileptic episodes occurring during sleep which may be needed to be ruled out of the differential diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: We show that as a general rule the basic activity of paroxystic disorders seen on an electroencephalogram occurs during slow sleep phases and particularly during their early stages. These studies are especially relevant in children and in neonates a prolonged recording is essential

[The effects of phenobarbital, valproic acid and carbamazepine on the serum lipids and lipoproteins in a pediatric population]. / Efectos del fenobarbital, ácido valproico y carbamazepina sobre lípidos y lipoproteínas séricas en población infanto-juvenil.

Lipids and serum lipoproteins were analyzed in 432 epileptic children younger than 14 years of age who received chronic treatment (more than 6 months) with anticonvulsive drugs: phenobarbital (n = 255), valproic acid (n = 92) and carbamazepine (n = 85). The children were grouped according to sex, age and the drug administered and compared with 490 healthy children from the same social environment. The biochemical findings significantly different (p < 0.05) from the control population were as follows: phenobarbital increased serum total cholesterol levels in females and high density lipoproteins in both sexes. Valproic acid raised serum A-II apoprotein levels in every group and serum C-HDL levels in the 6 to 13 year old male group. Treatment with carbamazepine raised serum total cholesterol levels, C-HDL, phospholipid and A-I apoprotein in all groups, low density lipoproteins in females and B apoprotein males. The total cholesterol/LDL ratio was significantly lower in the 6 to 13 year old male group with any of the drugs used when compared to the control population.