Possible causes of convulsions in a neonate include:
birth asphyxia or hypoxia - about half of all neonatal seizures
birth injury with haemorrhage
CNS infections eg such as meningitis, encephalitis - accounting for about 10% of cases. In addition to this, congenital infections are also important.
CNS malformations
hypoglycaemia - about 10% of cases
hypocalcaemia - about 10% of cases
hyponatraemia or hypernatraemia
hyperbilirubinaemia
hypomagnesaemia
inherited metabolic disorders - inborn errors of metabolism. One particular error to pay attention to, if only because the treatment is easy although the condition is rare, is pyridoxine deficiency.
narcotic withdrawal if the mother is an addict
benign familial neonatal convulsions - fifth day fits
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