Structured Summary
Abstract
An epileptic syndrome characterized by the triad of infantile spasms, hypsarrhythmia, and arrest of psychomotor development at seizure onset. The majority present between 3-12 months of age, with spasms consisting of combinations of brief flexor or extensor movements of the head, trunk, and limbs. The condition is divided into two forms: cryptogenic (idiopathic) and symptomatic (secondary to a known disease process such as intrauterine infections; nervous system abnormalities; BRAIN DISEASES, METABOLIC, INBORN; prematurity; perinatal asphyxia; TUBEROUS SCLEROSIS; etc.). (From Menkes, Textbook of Child Neurology, 5th ed, pp744-8)
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Broader headings
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MeSH Record
Synonyms
41 entry terms
- Lightning Attacks
- Spasms, Infantile
- West Syndrome
- Attack, Lightning
- Attacks, Lightning
- Infantile Spasm
- Lightning Attack
- Syndrome, West
- Cryptogenic Infantile Spasms
- Cryptogenic West Syndrome
- Hypsarrhythmia
- Jackknife Seizures
- Nodding Spasm
- Salaam Attacks
- Salaam Seizures
- Spasmus Nutans
- Symptomatic Infantile Spasms
- Symptomatic West Syndrome
- Attacks, Salaam
- Cryptogenic Infantile Spasm
- Hypsarrhythmias
- Infantile Spasm, Cryptogenic
- Infantile Spasm, Symptomatic
- Infantile Spasms, Cryptogenic
- Infantile Spasms, Symptomatic
- Jackknife Seizure
- Nodding Spasms
- Seizure, Jackknife
- Seizures, Jackknife
- Seizures, Salaam
- Spasm, Cryptogenic Infantile
- Spasm, Nodding
- Spasm, Symptomatic Infantile
- Spasms, Cryptogenic Infantile
- Spasms, Nodding
- Spasms, Symptomatic Infantile
- Symptomatic Infantile Spasm
- Syndrome, Cryptogenic West
- Syndrome, Symptomatic West
- West Syndrome, Cryptogenic
- West Syndrome, Symptomatic
MeSH Record
Aspects Covered
35 allowable subheadings
Indexed with the subheadings blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemically induced, classification, complications, congenital, diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, diet therapy, drug therapy, economics, embryology, enzymology, epidemiology, ethnology, etiology, genetics, history, immunology, metabolism, microbiology, mortality, nursing, parasitology, pathology, physiopathology, prevention & control, psychology, radiotherapy, rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, urine, veterinary, virology.
MeSH Record
Indexing Annotation
epileptic seizures only: do not confuse with SPASM + INFANT for non-epileptic seizures in infants
MeSH Record
History Note
1977(1963)
MeSH Record
Previous Indexing
- Child, Preschool (1966-1976)
- Convulsions (1966-1976)
- Epilepsy (1966-1976)
- Epilepsy, Petit Mal (1966-1976)
- Infant (1966-1976)
- Infant, Newborn (1966-1976)
- Myoclonus (1966-1976)
MeSH Hierarchy
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MeSH Record
NLM Classification
WS 430
AMA Style
References
- National Library of Medicine. Infantile Spasms. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D013036. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D013036
- Infantile Spasms. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18555095