Seizures in Children

Seizure is actually described as the abnormal or excessive neuronal activity of the brain. This sudden electrical activity creates muscle spasms, loss of consciousness and several other body dysfunctions. Anyone can go through seizures under some circumstances but children are more prone to suffer from seizures. Around 5% of children below 15 years of age, go through seizures. Ten in every thousand children suffer from recurring epileptic seizures.

Type of Seizures in Children
There are different types of seizures that can be categorized by their outer appearance and the reports of the electroencephalogram pattern (EEG). Following are the main types of the seizures in children.

Febrile Seizures: A child's contraction to several illnesses like cold, chickenpox, ear infection etc. might result into this type of seizures, which is accompanied by high fever. A child's whose older siblings have had several incidences of febrile seizures may suffer from similar episodic seizures.

Neonatal Seizures: This type of seizure occurs within the first month of the child's birth. Most of the times it occurs as soon as the child is born. The neonatal seizures are quite hard to recognize as the newborn doesn't have any convulsions but they show several symptoms like focal misdirection (both eyes set in different directions). Lip smacking and breathless periods may also be observed.

Atonic Seizures: The atonic seizures actually make the children go off balance and fall suddenly to the ground with a sudden loss of muscle tone in an unresponsive manner. The atonic seizures are also called as drop attacks.

GTC Seizures: The GTC (generalized tonic clonic seizures) are defined in five distinguishing stages, that are - contract (contraction of the legs, arms and other body parts), straighten out (extended body parts), tremor (sudden shaking of the body), clonic period (sudden contraction-relaxation of the body), and the postictal period (sleepiness, problems with speech, vision along with fatigue and body aches).

Infantile Seizures: This type of seizures are said to be the rarest that occur to the children of 3 months to a year of age. During this type of seizure, the infant is most probably at the point of awakening with certain periodic movements of the neck, legs or the trunk that last for a few seconds or more. They are also called as infantile spasms, which are quite dangerous with several long term complications.

Myoclonic Seizures: Myoclonic seizures, generally are characterized by quick movement of a large group of muscles in several parts of the body. These seizures occur for several times during a day or also for several days in a row. There are many types of seizures in children that are distinguished by their causes.

Causes of Seizures in Children
A child having tendency of seizures actually undergoes one to many seizures in the long period of time. Following are the causes of seizures in children:

• Infections or high fever
• Chemical imbalance of the body that causes loss of metabolism
• Congenital conditions or trauma
• Genetic factors and family history
• Brain tumors and neurological problems
• Habits of the mother like smoking, alcohol consumption, drugs and certain medications

When the child goes through several seizures without any specific reason, it is called as epilepsy.

Symptoms of Seizures in Children
The intensity and the degree of seizures vary according to the type of seizure. Following are the probable symptoms that indicate that a child is having seizures.

• Jerking movements of the body
• Staring, rapid eye blinking, loss of consciousness, confused appearance
• Breathing problem and incontinence
• Falling without any specific reason and unresponsiveness for several minutes
• Lips turning blue in color

The sudden movements of the body parts are most often followed by disorientation and a long period of deep sleep. Most symptoms of seizures in children may also resemble other medical conditions, so it is best to consult the doctor and start the treatment of the same.

Diagnosis of Seizures in Children
There are various diagnosis methods of seizures in children that can diagnose the actual type of seizures, as well as make it easy to plan the treatment for it. Along with outer appearance of the seizure and the EEG, following are the several other diagnostic methods of seizures in children:

• Blood tests
• MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• CT scan (Computerized Tomography scan)
• Lumber Puncture (removal of a small amount of the CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid) and performing tests on it.

Treatment of Seizures in Children
Treatment for seizure in children are recommended as per the condition of that particular child. These specifications will depend mainly on the age, overall health and other medical history of the child. The type, degree and intensity of seizure will also determine the line of treatment for seizures in children. The obvious goal behind the treatment of seizures is to stop or decease the frequency of seizures in children that too without troubling the normal growth of the children. Medications as per the type of seizure, timely blood tests, urine tests and the EEGs to keep a check on the progress of the child as per the medication that is being provided and a ketogenic diet are the three possible curative measures that are observed by the health care providers with the help of the parents of the child.

In most of the cases, seizures in children are a passing phase and don't really require lifetime medication if provided with an early diagnosis and proper child care. Never overlook the symptoms of seizures in children and keep a regular follow-up of the health care provider. Take care!