Status seizures as a secondary effect from the "squash drinking syndrome" in an infant.

Abstract: The "hypotonic drink syndrome" is characterized by loss of appetite, normal activity levels and, in some cases, intestinal disturbances in children with an intake of more than 30% of the recommended daily calories in the form of non-dairy drinks. Diarrhea and growth retardation are possible complications due to the amount of nonnutritive calorie intake ("empty calories") contained in this type of hypotonic beverages.We present the case of an 11-month-old boy who suffered a "Squash drinking syndrome" requiring admission to the pediatric intensive care unit because of a status seizure secondary to a severe hyponatremia (118 mmol/L) due to massive ingestion of hypotonic drinks, such as squash.