DIARRHOEA AND SLEEPINESS: A WORRYING ASSOCIATION?

Key words: Benzodiazepine, Intoxication, Diarrhoea

Sleepiness, weakness and ataxia are neurological symptoms that must be carefully evaluated in children, especially when these symptoms coexist with diarrhoea. Accurate physical examination and personal history and laboratory tests are necessary to identify potentially severe diseases such as Salmonella meningitis or drug intoxication. We report the case of a 13-month-old Egyptian child with sudden onset of neurological symptoms during an episode of diarrhoea. Only the toxicological screening performed on a urine sample allowed us to know that the child had received a very high dose of benzodiazepine to reduce the excessive crying. The neurological symptoms spontaneously resolved within 48 hours and also diarrhoea improved in a few days