Benign infantile epilepsy (BIE), also known as benign infantile seizures (BIS), is an

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

syndrome of which several forms have been described. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classify two main forms of the syndrome (familial and nonfamilial) though several other forms have been described in the academic literature. Affected children, who have no other health or developmental problems, develop seizures during infancy. These seizures have focal origin within the brain but may then spread to become generalised seizures. The seizures may occur several times a day, often grouped in clusters over one to three days followed by a gap of one to three months. Treatment with anticonvulsant drugs is not necessary but they are often prescribed and are effective at controlling the seizures. This form of epilepsy resolves after one or two years, and appears to be completely benign. The

EEG Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The biosignals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex ...

of these children, between seizures, is normal. The brain appears normal on

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

scan. The familial and nonfamilial forms have overlapping features and the presence of a family history of infantile seizures may be the only distinguishing criterion. The nonfamiliar form has a larger range of the onset of seizures: from three to twenty months with most occurring between five and six months. There is no difference between the sexes. With benign familial infantile epilepsy, the seizures onset from four to eight months of age. Some cases of nonfamilial benign infantile seizures occur during a case of mild gastroenteritis. Called ''benign infantile seizures associated with mild gastroenteritis'' (BIS with MG), the seizures only occur during this illness and do not recur. Infection with

rotavirus ''Rotavirus'' is a genus of double-stranded RNA viruses in the family ''Reoviridae''. Rotaviruses are the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. Nearly every child in the world is infected with a rotavirus ...

is the most common cause. Although children with benign infantile epilepsy typically have a normal EEG between seizures, some infants have been found to have a characteristic abnormal EEG during sleep. Called ''benign infantile focal epilepsy with midline spikes and waves during sleep'', these infants have few seizures and there may often be a family history.

References

{{reflist, refs= Berg AT, Berkovic SF, Brodie MJ, Buchhalter J, Cross JH, ''et al''
Revised terminology and concepts for organization of seizures and epilepsies: report of the ILAE Commission on Classification and Terminology
2005-2009. Epilepsia. 2010 Apr;51(4):676-85. 2010 Feb 26. {{PMID, 20196795. {{doi, 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2010.02522.x. Vigevano F, Specchio N, Caraballo R, Watanabe K. Benign familial and nonfamilial seizures. In: Dichter MA, Engel J, Pedley TA, Aicardi J, editors. Epilepsy: a comprehensive textbook. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. ch. 227. {{ISBN, 0-7817-5777-0 Panayiotopoulos CP. The Epilepsies: Seizures, Syndromes and Management. Oxfordshire: Bladon Medical Publishing; 2005. ch. 6. {{ISBN, 1-904218-34-2. {{PMID, 20821848. Epilepsy types