Citation

Verdú Pérez A, Garde Morales T, Martínez Campos M, Rinaudo Zanirato R, Alonso Martin JA. An. Esp. Pediatr. 1998; 48(1): 17-20.

Vernacular Title

Determinacion en sangre de la enzima enolasa especifica neuronal en ninos con

Affiliation

Unidad de Neuropediatría, Hospital Virgen de la Salud, Toledo.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Ediciones Doyma)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9542221

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate if there is a correlation between blood levels of the enzyme neuron-specific enolase in children with non-traumatic acute encephalopathies with severe alterations in consciousness and the neurological sequellae. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Neuron-specific enolase (EC 4.2.1.11) activity in plasma was measured by radioimmunoassay in 9 children aged 7 months to 5 years, who suffered acute encephalopathy and coma of non-traumatic origin. The etiology was acute viral encephalitis (n = 4), near drowning (n = 2), shock (n = 2) and cardiac arrest (n = 1). Blood samples were obtained between 24 and 72 hours after the onset of encephalopathy. The neurological status was evaluated 18 months after the onset of encephalopathy in the 8 surviving patients (1 patient with brain death criteria died in the acute stage). RESULTS: Enzyme activities were significantly higher in the children who showed neurological sequelae (median 68.9 ng/ml, range 35.0-95.6, n = 4) than in those who did not present neurological abnormalities (median 15.8 ng/ml, range 9.7-18.7, n = 5), with p < 0.05. No differences were found between the latter and the control group (median 7.7 ng/ml, range 4.1-12.7, n = 10). CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the presence of elevated neuron-specific enolase in blood is predictive of neurological outcome in children with acute encephalopathies of non-traumatic origin.

Language: es