Seizures-like symptoms in an African child with life-threatening severe upper respiratory tract obstruction

Obstructive sleep apneas are characterized by episodes of complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep. Symptoms and signs are associated with sleep-related breathing disorders. Sometimes it can be clinically difficult to distinguish abnormal events related to sleep disorders from seizures. We report herein the case of a child with seizures-like symptoms during sleep. Epilepsy was excluded and symptomatology was referred to life-threatening upper respiratory obstruction from tonsils and adenoids hypertrophy that required persistent intubation before surgical removal.