Biomedical subjects

A T Berg

Publications and source records attributed to A T Berg.

75 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Classification of complex features of febrile seizures: interrater agreement.

As part of a prospective study of febrile seizures, three independent pediatric neurologists rated each of 100 febrile seizures for the presence of complex features: focality, long duration (greater than or equal to 10 min), and occurrence of multiple seizures. Seizure descriptions were assembled from all information available in the medical record and from a semistructured interview of a person who had witnessed the seizure. Interrater agreement assessed by kappa indicated excellent agreement with regard to whether the seizures were multiple or prolonged (kappa greater than or equal to 0.85) and fair to good agreement with regard to focality (kappa = 0.61-0.78). Disagreement occurred most often regarding assessment of focality. Reasons for disagreement included variation in interpretation of lateral eye deviation, staring episodes, and motor asymmetries in the context of a bilateral convulsion.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

EEG abnormalities in children with a first unprovoked seizure.

We examined EEG findings from an ongoing study of 347 children with a first unprovoked seizure. EEGs were available in 321 (93%), and 135 (42%) had an abnormal EEG. EEG abnormalities included focal spikes (n = 77), generalized spike and wave discharges (n = 28), slowing (n = 43), and nonspecific abnormalities (n = 7). Abnormal EEGs were more common in children with remote symptomatic seizures (60%) than in those with idiopathic seizures (38%) (p < 0.003), more common in partial seizures (56%) than in generalized seizures (35%) (p < 0.001), and more common in children age > 3 years (52%) than in younger children (12%) (p < 0.001). Records including both awake and sleep tracings were available in 148 (46%) cases. For 122 (38%) only awake tracings and for 51 (16%) only sleep tracings were available. Fifty-nine (40%) of the 148 patients with both an awake and asleep tracing had abnormal EEGs. Of 50 such EEGs with epileptiform abnormalities, 15 (30%) demonstrated the abnormality either only while awake (n = 8) or only while asleep (n = 7). Of 17 patients with EEG slowing, 8 showed slowing only in the awake tracing and 9 showed slowing in both the awake and asleep tracing. Children with even a single unprovoked seizure have a high incidence of EEG abnormalities. Obtaining a combined awake and sleep EEG significantly increases the yield of EEG abnormalities. In children with an idiopathic first seizure, EEG abnormalities are associated with an increased risk of seizure recurrence.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An epidemiologic study of sports and weight lifting as possible risk factors for herniated lumbar and cervical discs. The Northeast Collaborative Group on Low Back Pain.

The associations between participation in several specific sports, use of free weights, and use of weight lifting equipment and herniated lumbar or cervical intervertebral discs were examined in a case-control epidemiologic study. Specific sports considered were baseball or softball, golf, bowling, swimming, diving, jogging, aerobics, and racquet sports. Included in the final analysis were 287 patients with lumbar disc herniation and 63 patients with cervical disc herniation, each matched by sex, source of care, and decade of age to 1 control who was free of disc herniation and other conditions of the back or neck. Results indicated that most sports are not associated with an increased risk of herniation, and may be protective. Relative risk estimates for the association between individual sports and lumbar or cervical herniation were generally less than or close to 1.0. There was, however, a weak positive association between bowling and herniation at both the lumbar and cervical regions of the spine. Use of weight lifting equipment was not associated with herniated lumbar or cervical disc, but a possible association was indicated between use of free weights and risk of cervical herniation (relative risk, 1.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.74 to 4.74).

Adult↗