Grand Mal Seizures in Children

Consider this: A child is playing in the garden and while enjoying this leisure activity he suddenly loses his consciousness. If that wasn't enough, the child's body soon starts trembling, which lasts for a minute or two. How can one explain this? Was it black magic or was the child possessed? Well, none of these; This abnormal activity of the child, known as grand mal seizures has been linked to disturbances in the functioning of the brain. Grand mal seizures in children can be disturbing for parents, but it usually lasts for a few minutes. This type of seizure activity can affect anyone, irrespective of age. Even a 3 month old baby can show symptoms of grand mal seizures.

We have all heard about epilepsy, a term used to describe a set of disorders, resulting from abnormal fluctuations in the electrical signals of the brain. Grand mal seizures is a variation of epilepsy in which electrical disturbances affect the whole brain and are no longer restricted to a specific area inside the brain.

As we all know, the movement of muscles is controlled by the brain. When a child wants to move his legs or arms, the neurons in the brain send electrical signals that travel through the nerves, all the way down to the desired muscle group. In other words, the muscles of any part of the body cannot move unless it receives any electrical signals. So, one can say that the electrical activity of the brain is responsible for proper muscle movement. However, when this electrical activity of the brain goes haywire, repeated involuntary contraction of muscles occur. This condition is referred as seizures and when these abnormal uncontrolled muscle movement affect the entire body, it is known as grand mal seizures.

Symptoms

Grand mal seizure symptoms in children occurs in phases. With the onset of electrical fluctuations in the brain, the child first loses his alertness and soon becomes unconscious. This sudden loss of consciousness is followed by repeated contraction and relaxation of muscles. These involuntary muscle movement do not remain confined to any specific area. As a result, the whole body of the child shakes rapidly. These convulsions generally, do not last for more than two minutes. However, even if the repeated muscle movement stops, the child may remain in the unconscious state for several minutes. After the child regains consciousness, he may appear confused and sleepy, and so may take some time to start his normal routine.

Causes

As aforementioned, malfunctioning of neurons, resulting in abnormal activity of the brain, is the main reason behind development of grand mal seizures in kids. The neurons do not send the electrical signals properly. In this condition, the brain temporarily loses its ability to control muscle movement. This can happen due to a traumatic injury to the head. Other causes of grand mal seizures in toddlers and infants are given below:

Low Calcium or Magnesium Levels: Brain disorders causing grand mal seizures in toddlers has also been linked to extremely low calcium or low magnesium levels in blood. When these minerals are found to be abnormally low in blood, it can have a negative impact on the brain. Studies show that brain cells do not work efficiently when the body is deficient in these minerals. Blood tests of quite a few children diagnosed with grand mal seizures have also revealed low calcium levels.

Meningitis: Disturbances in the electrical activity can occur as a consequence of meningitis. As we all know, the brain is covered by the membranes that protect it from external damage. Children with meningitis develop inflammation of this protective membrane (meninges). It is a bacterial infection that causes swelling of these meninges. So, apart from showing symptoms like severe headache and high fever, the affected child may suffer from intermediate bouts of seizures.

Stroke: A condition in which blood circulation to the brain reduces considerably, is referred as a stroke. As blood carries oxygen to the brain, stroke causes insufficient oxygen supply to the brain. When the brain is deprived of adequate supply of oxygen, electrical disturbances are likely to occur inside the brain, eventually causing grand mal seizures in kids.

Tumors: This can also be one of the causes of grand mal seizures in infants. There have been instances where children below 2 are diagnosed with brain tumors. Tumors in the brain can give rise to lack of coordination between electrical signals, eventually triggering seizure symptoms. This abnormal tissue growth is likely to interfere with the functioning of the neurons, which may disrupt electrical activity in the brain.

In order to control this seizure activity, anti-seizure medications are prescribed. Topiramate (topamax) is the commonly recommended seizure medication to manage this type of seizures effectively. However, to know the exact dosage and the duration of treatment, it is necessary to consult a doctor.