TITLE:
Epidemiological and Clinical Aspects of Abnormal Movements in Children from 2 Months to 15 Years in the Pediatric Department of Gabriel Toure University Hospital Centre of Bamako
AUTHORS:
Karamoko Sacko, Djeneba Konaté, Amadou Touré, Belco Maiga, Fousseyni Traoré, Adama Dembelé, Pierre Togo, Abdoul Karim Doumbia, Andoule Guindo, Rokia Togola, Oumar Coulibaly, Diakite Fatoumata Léonie Francois, Ibrahima Ahamadou, Kalirou Traoré, Abdoul Aziz Diakité, Boubacar Togo
KEYWORDS:
Abnormal Movements, Convulsions, Children, Bamako
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.12 No.1,
March
7,
2022
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Abnormal or involuntary movements correspond to a disorder in the
programming and/or execution of movement. They have two characteristics; they
are hardly or not at all controlled by the will and occur in the absence of any
paralysis. Objective: To determine the epidemiological, clinical and etiological characteristics of abnormal
(involuntary) movements in children aged 2 months to 15 years. Patients
and Methods: This was a prospective, descriptive study from January 2016 to
December 2018 of children aged 2 months to
15 years seen in neuropediatric consultations for abnormal movements. Results: During the study period 1920 children were seen in neuropediatric consultations
and 57 presented with abnormal movements, i.e. a frequency of 2.96%. Children aged between 6 and 60 months were the most
affected (54.4%). The sex ratio was 1.53. Movement abnormality was the most
common reason for consultation (45.7%), followed by apyretic convulsions (28%),
and laxity (5.3%). The onset was progressive in 68.4% of children. The main
types of abnormal movements were chorea (31.6%), dystonia (26.3%), myoclonus
(17.5%), tremor in 10.5%. The causes were infectious (73.68%). Conclusion: Abnormal
movements are rare in paediatric practice. They have multiple causes and their
management is urgent in certain situations that can jeopardise the future of
children.