Objective: Assessment of the prevalence of convulsion-like symptoms in 1854 children of Dutch-speaking mothers of a population-based birth cohort.
Method: At each child health clinic (CHC) visit mothers were asked whether they had noted any of the following signs: loss of consciousness, involuntary movements, eye rotation movements and apnoea, and if so, whether these appeared to be related to feeding. Registration was done by the CHC physician during eight consultations.
Results: Convulsion-like symptoms occurred in a quarter of the children: in 8% exclusively in relation to feeding, almost without exception in the first three months of life, in 19% also without relation to feeding, continuing until the second birthday. The latter children were more frequently admitted into hospital, even for non-neurological problems, than the former or than children without any such signs. They also have more disabilities at the age of two years. No connection with epilepsy in the family or with congenital anomalies could be demonstrated.
Conclusion: Convulsion-like symptoms were observed in a quarter of children up to the age of two years. Special attention should be paid by the CHC team to children with signs not connected with feeding.