Objective: A breath-holdingspell (BHS) is defined as an apnea attack following an initial stressful event like anger, sadness, and fear, a painful event like falling or head trauma or any stressful psychology event. This study was designed to assessthe comparative efficacy of levetiracetam plus iron and iron alone in reducingthe BHS frequency in children aged 6 months to 5 years.
Materials &method: This study was designed asa double-blinded randomized clinical trial. Sixty patients aged 6 months to 5 years were assigned into two groups, withthe first group (A) receiving onlyiron and the second group (B)receiving levetiracetam plus iron. At the end of the study, the efficacy of therapywas analyzed comparatively in these groups.
Results: In this study, the mean number of attacks was 3.94 ± 2.69 before treatment and 1.71 ± 1.99after treatmentin the group A,while it was 6.39 ± 5.7 before treatment and 0.37 ± 1.03after treatment in the group B.The mean number of attacksafter treatment was lower in group B than in group A. In fact, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the number of attacks after treatment (P = 0.003).
Conclusion: Levetiracetam plus iron is more effective than iron alone in reducing BHSs in children aged 6 months to 5 years.
Keywords: Breath-holding spells; iron supplements; levetiracetam.