Childhood Seizures
What Are Childhood Seizures?
Childhood seizures are caused by an abnormal change in the brains electrical activity. When a child experiences a seizure they are likely to black out or they may have jerky motions. If your child is suffering from recurrent seizures they have epilepsy.
Although two out of four hundred children may suffer from seizures most of these will lead trouble free lives.
What Causes Childhood Seizures And Who Is At Risk?
Unfortunately in the majority of children there has been no cause for the seizure. Very occasionally they maybe a genetic reason as to why your child has epilepsy but this is very complicated. Sometimes the seizures might be caused by damage during birth or an illness during childhood.
What Are The Common Symptoms And Complications Of Childhood Seizures?
There are many different types of childhood seizures:
- Febrile Convulsions
- Breath holding attacks
- Primary generalized epilepsy
- Absence Seizures
- Juvenile Myoclonic epilepsy
- Temporal lobe Epilepsy
What Are Febrile Convulsions?
Febrile convulsions are very common and are caused by a sudden rise in your child’s temperature. Most children do not suffer additional convulsions after the illness.
What Are Breath Holding Attacks?
Breath holding attacks normally occur when a child is under extreme frustration or anger. Your child maybe inclined to scream and then hold their breath until they pass out.
What Is Primary Generalised Epilepsy ?
Primary generalized is also known as ‘grand-mal’ or ‘tonic–clonic’ epilepsy and is the most common type of epilepsy in children. Your child loses consciousness and their arms and legs may become stiff. You may find that your child stops breathing and then their body may start to jerk. After a while your child will start to breathe again, although you may discover that they have either bitten their tongue or urinated or both. Do not be surprised if your child is very tearful, tired and not able to remember what has just happened.
What Are Absence Seizures ?
Absence seizures are also known as ‘petit mal’ attacks, your child will not have the same actions as the grand mal. During an absence seizure your child may appear to be out of it for a short period of time.These attacks happen early in life and most children grow out of them.
What Is Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy?
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is a condition that has a genetic basis and runs in families. Again your child may experience jerking of the whole body but without losing consciousness, the jerking motions attack in the morning.
What Is Temporal Lobe Epilepsy?
Temporal lobe epilepsy can sometimes be difficult to recognise and diagnose in childhood. You may find that your child does a variety of face pulling and may seem not to be aware of what is going on.
How Do Doctors Recognise Childhood Seizures?
There are a variety of ways to diagnose childhood seizures including:
- Brain scans
- EEG
- Blood tests
What Is The Treatment For Childhood Seizures?
Ideally you want to be able to help your child to recognize the signs which indicate a seizure maybe coming, also to avoid the triggers that set them off.
You can help to help prevent seizures by ensuring that your child does not become over-tired.
Treatment can be managed with several anti-epileptic drugs. Ensure that all carers for your child are aware they are epileptic and what to do if your child has a seizure.
What Is The Outcome Of Childhood Seizures?
The majority of children do tend to grow out of epilepsy or it is controlled with the use of medication.
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