HaNDL syndrome in a 12-year-old girl
Correspondencia: Dra. Alba Gabaldón Albero. Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe. Avda. Fernando Abril Martorell, 106. E-46026 Valencia.
E-mail: gabaldon_alb@gva.es
Introduction: HaNDL (headache and neurological deficits with cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis) syndrome is a self-limiting benign condition which, as its name suggests, causes episodes of transient neurological deficits of a motor, sensory, aphasic and, less frequently, visual nature lasting several hours, accompanied or followed by moderate-to-severe headache and lymphocytosis of the cerebrospinal fluid. Its incidence is low in adulthood, and it is extremely uncommon in the paediatric age. Recurrence of episodes usually occurs in the first three months. It has an excellent prognosis. Case report: A 12-year-old female with intense frontal headache that suddenly begins on the tenth day, with clinical signs and symptoms of dysarthria and right hemiparesis with subsequent aphasia and generalised hypotonia. After ruling out other conditions by means of complementary examinations and the clinical course, the patient was finally diagnosed with HaNDL syndrome, since it fulfilled the clinical criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS). Conclusions: The patient met the criteria established by the IHS for the diagnosis of HaNDL syndrome. The main historical, epidemiological and clinical data are analysed and the differential diagnosis of HaNDL syndrome in the paediatric age is described.
Caso clínico Mujer de 12 años con cefalea frontal intensa que inicia en el décimo día, de forma brusca, clínica de disartria y hemiparesia derecha con posterior afasia e hipotonía generalizada. Tras descartarse mediante exploraciones complementarias y evolución clínica otras entidades, fue finalmente diagnosticada de síndrome HaNDL, ya que cumplía los criterios clínicos de la Sociedad Internacional de Cefaleas (IHS).
Conclusiones La paciente reunió los criterios de la IHS para el diagnóstico de síndrome HaNDL. Se analizan los principales datos históricos, epidemiológicos y clínicos, y se expone el diagnóstico diferencial del síndrome HaNDL en la edad pediátrica.