Dom João VI's death: convulsions and coma

Abstract

-Dom João VI´s death occurred in adverse political conditions that led to the regicide hypothesis. The main aim of this paper is to mention life style and conditions of the death of the king by means of narrative review based on primary and secondary sources. Dom João VI died in the way of convulsions and gastrointestinal symptoms. This could be the result of the pathological chain of genetic determination, accentuated by the inappropriate life style, obesity and sedentary habits, and/or poisoning. The finding of arsenic in high doses in his viscera favors the last hypothesis as the basic cause of death, but one can not discard the atherosclerosis predisposing risk factors for a final stroke.KEY WORDS: Dom João VI, arsenic, convulsions, stroke. Morte de Dom João VI: convulsões e comaRESUMO -A morte de Dom João VI aconteceu em condições políticas adversas que conduziram à hipótese de regicídio. O objetivo principal deste artigo é mencionar o estilo de vida e condições da morte do rei por meio de revisão narrativa baseada em fontes primárias e secundárias. Dom João VI morreu apresentando convulsões e sintomas gastrointestinais. Esse poderia ser o resultado da cadeia patológica de determinação genética, acentuada pelo estilo de vida inapropriado, obesidade e/ou envenenamento. O achado de arsêni-co em doses altas nas suas vísceras aponta a última hipótese como a causa básica da morte, mas não se pode descartar a aterosclerose como fator de risco predisponente para um acidente vascular cerebral final.

Epileptic events in the XIX century as reported by the Brazilian Royal Family

“…The frequency of epileptic seizures and syndromes alike in Dom Pedro I's family was recognized [2][3][4][5] . We recover the historical royal family reports to illustrate the epilepsy medical knowledge of that time.…”

“…The queen Dona Carlota Joaquina report to her on March 11 th , 1817, apud Rangel 7 : "I was very sad about the news from your second event as El Rey told me, and I think it is necessary that you take care of your health". Dom João VI had symptomatic convulsions followed by coma, and finally died (March 4 th , 1826) 6 days after 2,3 . From the first marriage of Dom Pedro I with Princess Leopoldina, Carolina Josefa Leopoldina (1797-1826), seven children were born: Maria da Glória-1819-1853 (future Maria II of Portugal); Miguel (deceased soon after his birth); João Carlos (deceased at the age of 11 months); Januária Maria (1822-1901); Paula-Mariana (1823-1833); Francisca-Carolina (1824-1898), and Pedro II (1825-1891) 8 .…”