Clinical features of benign infantile convulsions: familial and sporadic cases.

Objective: To give a contribution about the existence of non familial benign infantile convulsions during the first two years of life. Patients and Methods: We evaluated 58 patients (29 females and 29 males) with seizure onset ranging between 4 and 24 months of life, regular psychomotor development, unremarkable neuro-imaging studies and interictal electroencephalogram. We analyzed gender, age at onset, duration, manifestations and frequency of seizures, family history of febrile or infantile convulsions. Results: 17 patients had a family history of benign epilepsy, while 41 had not. Among the latter, 12 showed a family history of febrile seizures and the remaining 29 had an uncertain or fully negative familiarity with it. No clinical differences have been observed between the familial and the non familial groups. Nobody experienced seizures after the age of two and the psychomotor development remained normal in all patients, during follow-up. Conclusions: This study confirms the existence of non familial benign infantile convulsions and the benign outcome of this type of seizures either familial or non-familial. In addition to this, we also discuss the possibility to avoid anti-epileptic treatment.