Value of brainstem auditory evoked potential in early diagnosis of hand,foot and mouth disease with nervous system damage

Objective To investigate the value of brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) in early diagnosis of severe hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) with the nervous system damage. Methods BAEP was performed in 297 cases with HFMD. The patients were divided into 4 groups by the HFMD clinical classification and their ages. Group A included the general cases who were younger than three years (n=80). Group B included the severe cases who were younger than three years (n=94). Group C included the general cases who were three years or older (n=38). Group D included the severe cases who were three years or older (n=85). The electroencephalogram (EEG) and MRI results of patients in the groups were retrospectively studied and the results were compared with that of BAEP. Results (1) The BAEP abnormal rate of group B (18/94, 19.15%) was higher than that of group A (3/80, 3.75%), and the BAEP abnormal rate of group D (13/85, 15.29%) was higher than that of group C (1/38, 2.63%) (P<0.05). (2) The EEG abnormal rate in group B was low (2/94, 2.13%) and there was no case with abnormal EEG in group A. (3) The EEG abnormal rate of group D (49/85, 57.65%) was higher than that of group C (6/38, 15.79%) (P<0.05), and higher than the BAEP abnormal rate of group D. (4) The MRI abnormal rate of group B (9/94, 9.57%) was higher than that of group A (1/80, 1.25%) (P<0.05), and the MRI abnormal rate of group D (9/85, 10.59%) was higher than that of group C (0). (5) The BAEP abnormal rate of the children with severe HFMD (31/179, 17.32%) was higher than the MRI abnormal rate (18/179, 10.06%) (P<0.05). Conclusion BAEP has clinical significance for early diagnosis of severe HFMD with nervous system damage, and can provide objective basis for the diagnosis. Key words: Brainstem auditory evoked potential; Severe hand, foot and mouth disease; Nervous system damage; Early diagnosis