Background: In the population of children and adolescents, epilepsy affects 0.5-1% of individuals; approximately 3% of general population suffer from non-epileptic seizures, while endocrine disorders are several times more frequent. All of the above factors result in a relatively common non-accidental occurrence of endocrine disorders, epilepsy and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, structural central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities that cause both endocrine and neurologic disorders seem to be markedly less common. No reports addressing this problem are available in the literature.
Aim of the study: 1) Assessment of the frequency of non-coincidental occurrence of epilepsy and endocrine disorders in inpatients and outpatients with structural CSN abnormalities managed in Department Endocrinology. 2) Presentation of diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties in these patients, and 3) An attempt at defining a common etiology of both disorders.
Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of the patients with coincidence of endocrine disorders and epilepsy and psycho-neurologic disorders (treated in Chair and Department of Children's and Adolescents Neurology, University Children's Hospital of Krakow or in another pediatric neurology center) and with organic CNS abnormalities (treated or followed up as inpatients and outpatient of Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's University Hospital of Krakow, was performed. The patients were selected from among several thousands of children treated as inpatients and outpatients of the Department.
Results: Various forms of symptomatic and idiopathic epilepsy and other psychoneurological disorders (disorders of behavior and emotions, obsession-compulsion syndromes, stereotypias, aggression, compulsive ideas and movements, anorexia or hypothalamic obesity) coincident with one or more endocrine disorders such as precocious or delayed puberty, multihormonal pituitary deficiency, panhypopituitarism and secondary hypothyroidism were detected in 42 patients with suprasellar arachnoid cyst (7 patients), septo-optic dysplasia (8 patients), craniopharyngioma (15 patients), glioma of the optic chiasm in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) (12 patients). There were no endocrine disorders in any of the ten patients with hamartoma of the hypothalamus and CPP. Endocrine and/ or neurological disorders did not resolve or were progressive after neurosurgery. Of 42 patients, a group of seven children representative for individual disorders was selected. In those patients, the etiology of both endocrine disorders, epilepsy and neuropsychiatric disorders was suspected to be common.
Conclusion: 1. Various structural CNS abnormalities are the cause of concomitant epilepsy and endocrinopathy, although in some cases a direct impact of a genetic factor on the occurrence of both disorders or a mere coincidence cannot be ruled out. 2. Psychoneurological disorders usually precede the onset of endocrinopathy. 3. For this reason, MR or CT CNS imaging should be performed in any case of central neurological disorders, disorders of behavior, epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive syndrome, but also in patients with delayed psycho-motor development, delayed or accelerated growth and pubertal development. All of the above-mentioned manifestations may be symptoms of structural CNS abnormalities and their early treatment determines the child's future.