John Stephenson: paediatric neurologist who found a major area of medical misdiagnosis

bmj;386/jul10_4/q1485/FAF1faIn 1978 the witty and erudite professor John Stephenson gave a name to unexplained syncope among young children: reflex anoxic seizures (RAS). This highlighted a major area of medical misdiagnosis. Up to 30% of children diagnosed with epilepsy when presenting with loss of consciousness, falls, or other paroxysmal episodes were reportedly misdiagnosed and prescribed unnecessary drugs with frequent side effects.Trudi Lobban’s young daughter Francesca could have been one such child. She had been passing out up to eight times a day. Failing to find an explanation, her mother wrote to paediatric neurologists all over the world.Stephenson replied and asked if Lobban would talk to other affected parents. In 1993 Lobban launched Syncope Trust and Reflex Anoxic Seizures (STARS), a decision that was to help many thousands of children. “John had a vision that no child would be misdiagnosed with epilepsy as long as RAS was recognised and understood by the…
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