Correlation between Seizure and Arrhythmia in Children: A Review

Seizure is a sudden, excessive and abnormal electric discharge of brain cells that leads to disturbance in cortical function. It is evident thatseizure can affect heart signals. A hypothesis expresses that seizure and arrhythmia both are manifestations of a channelopathy because heart and brain both have ion channels, but seizure relation with heart electrical activity in children is not understood well yet. ECGand Echocardiography in children with seizure show a significant decrease in LV systolic function, RV diastolic function and significant long TP intervals. Increased heart rate variability, beat-to-beat Q_T interval, and ventricular repolarization variability have also been reported. Anti N_methyl_d_aspartate receptor encephalitis (NMDARE) which includes seizure causes worsening of tachyarrhythmia, bradyarrhythmia,and asystole episodes. Left ventricular end diastolic dimension (LVEDD) and left ventricular systolic end dimension (LVESD) are chocardiography findings in children with seizure. Hypocalcemia, an important etiology in seizure prolongs corrected Q-T.Dysautonomia is another common finding. In the other hand hypoglycemia induced by beta blockers in young patients with long Q_T syndrome causes seizure and in these children death by hypoglycemic seizure occurs by using Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD).Our results show a correlation between arrhythmia and seizure. Conclusion: The possibility of the occurrence of arrhythmia in children with seizure suggests heart condition and ECG monitoring as a rapid method for serum Ca2+ evaluation and prevention of seizureinducedsudden death.