Evaluation of the Efficacy of Levetiracetam Plus Iron in Comparison With Iron Alone in Controlling and Reducing the Frequency of Breath-Holding Spells in Children Aged 6 Months to 5 Years.

Objective A breath-holding spell (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 assess the comparative efficacy of levetiracetam plus iron and iron alone in reducing the BHS frequency in children aged 6 months to 5 years. Materials & Method This study was designed as a double-blinded randomized clinical trial. Sixty patients aged 6 months to 5 years were assigned into two groups, with the first group (A) receiving only iron and the second group (B) receiving levetiracetam plus iron. At the end of the study, the efficacy of therapy was analyzed comparatively in these groups. Results In this study, the mean number of attacks was 3.94 ± 2.69 before treatment and 1.71 ± 1.99 after treatment in 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 attacks after 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]