SEIZURES IN CHILDREN: WHAT EVERY PARENT MUST KNOW

 

Seizures, in children, occur when the brain of a child is overwhelmed by the enormous amount of electrical charge sent out by his/her nerve cells or neurons. Normally, nerve cells communicate with each other by sending out little bits of electrical charge. But when the electrical charge came in a huge torrent, they render the child’s brain temporarily dysfunctional, possibly causing a loss of consciousness, erratic or violent behavior, and involuntary muscle contractions or spasms. Seizures may also be caused by illness, lack of adequate oxygen, head trauma, and high fever.

However, epilepsy is described as a medical condition whereby a person has seizures more than one time without any specific cause.

                       Types of Seizures

There are several terms used nowadays to describe seizures. But there are two main classifications based on the location of the seizure in the child’s brain:

• Generalized seizures: Generalized seizures seem to begin everywhere in the child’s brain all at once. Highlighted below are some examples of generalized seizures:
• Absence seizures: These are formerly known as petit mal seizures, and they are very rare types of seizures that unexpectedly happens without any prior warnings. These could occur several times a day and render the child unmoving, staring blankly and experiencing a temporary loss of memory.
• Myoclonic seizures: These kinds of seizures cause an increase in muscle tone, and the parts of the brain stem that instigate the increasing and decreasing of the muscle tone are close to each other.
• Clonic seizures: In the course of a clonic seizure, the child’s muscles start to jerk and spasm.
• Tonic seizure: This kind of seizure usually occurs alongside clonic seizure; it is quite uncommon to experience one without the other.
• Tonic-clonic seizures: This is the most conspicuous type of seizures, formerly known as Grand Mal Seizures. The tonic phase first makes the child stiffen and fall, owing to a loss of consciousness. Then the clonic seizure sets in, making the child’s muscles jerk and spasm.
• Atonic seizures: This kind of seizure makes the child’s muscle go limp and unmovable.
• Partial seizures: Unlike generalized seizures, partial (focal) only starts from one location or area of the brain, and it is easy for doctors to locate which part of the brain the seizures occurred. Highlighted below are some classifications of partial seizures:
• Simple partial seizures: This kind of seizure is found in a location on one side of the brain, but it may spread to another part of the brain. And it doesn’t result in a loss of consciousness.
• Complex partial seizures: This is like a simple partial seizure, but it also causes a loss of consciousness.
• Partial seizures that can transform into generalized seizures: As its name implies, this kind of seizure begins as a partial seizure but degenerates into a generalized one.

                        Seizure diagnoses

Seizures can be diagnosed in the hospital using any or a combination of these methods:

• Using a neuroimaging device such as MRI, fMRI, PET or MRS
• Undertaking neurophysiology tests like EEGs
• Evaluating auditory and speech processing
• Application of neuropsychology
• Going through complete neurological consultation for epilepsy and associated illnesses

How to treat seizures

Schedule a meeting with your physician and design an appropriate treatment for your child. Ideally, seizures can be treated with any of the procedures outlined below:

• Use of dietary therapy
• By surgery
• Use of medications
• Undertaking Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)