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Epilepsy
What causes benign epilepsy in children?
There are multiple causes of benign epilepsy in children, with significant genetic factors often involved. It generally occurs during a specific developmental period in childhood due to localized diseases, and the prognosis is usually good. Such seizures in children may be caused by conditions like tuberous sclerosis, cerebral trigeminal angioma, and neurofibromatosis. Intracranial infections, such as viral encephalitis, bacterial meningitis, and tubercular meningitis, can also trigger benign epilepsy in children. Therefore, once diagnosed, early intervention treatments should be initiated to prevent the symptoms from worsening. Regular follow-ups with electroencephalograms are also necessary to understand the effects of epilepsy medications and treatments.
What can severe epilepsy lead to?
Severe epilepsy can cause many complications, such as cerebral edema, brain herniation, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, etc. Therefore, severe epilepsy can seriously threaten the patient's life. If the patient's epilepsy is not controlled in time, it can easily lead to a state of status epilepticus. Status epilepticus is a very dangerous central nervous system disease. Patients may experience sudden respiratory and circulatory arrest and uncontrollable massive gastrointestinal bleeding. For severe epilepsy patients, it is necessary to promptly administer medications such as diazepam and sodium valproate to terminate the seizures. If status epilepticus occurs, the patient needs to be urgently sent to the ICU for observation and treatment, and effective interventions for various complications must be provided. For example, in the case of cerebral edema caused by epilepsy, medications such as mannitol and glycerol fructose are needed to dehydrate and reduce intracranial pressure. If epilepsy causes acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding, treatments to suppress acid, stop bleeding, and maintain blood pressure are required.
What are the signs before the onset of epilepsy?
Before the onset of epilepsy, most patients do not exhibit any signs and can suddenly experience an epileptic seizure. Different types of epilepsy have different symptoms. For example, during a major seizure, symptoms can include limb twitching, eyes rolling upwards, frothing at the mouth, clenched teeth, loss of consciousness, and abnormal blood pressure, which can lead to severe falls and injuries. During a minor seizure, the patient mainly shows transient loss of consciousness, objects in hand may suddenly drop, unresponsiveness when called, and a vacant stare. Most patients do not fall, and the symptoms generally last for only a few seconds to tens of seconds. If autonomic epileptic seizures are considered, symptoms may include nausea and vomiting. Psychotic symptom seizures can present with hallucinations and delusions.
Does epilepsy have symptoms when it is not causing seizures?
When epilepsy is not active, there are no symptoms. Patients mainly show recurrent epileptic seizures, usually lasting three to five minutes. After the seizure stops, the patient does not exhibit any symptoms or signs. Clinically, epilepsy is categorized into primary and secondary types. For primary epilepsy, if a patient experiences more than two episodes, routine use of anti-epileptic drugs is recommended. The choice of medication varies depending on the type of epilepsy. Typically, monotherapy is preferred initially. However, if monotherapy is ineffective or causes substantial side effects, a combination of two or more anti-epileptic drugs may be used to try to control the seizures. In cases of secondary epilepsy, which often has a clear cause, the primary focus is on treating the underlying condition. This includes long-term cerebrovascular diseases like cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction, as well as conditions like encephalitis and brain tumors. Treatment should be tailored to the specific disease.
What is an effective treatment for epilepsy?
To effectively treat epilepsy, it is crucial to adhere to the principles of medication use and cessation. First, epilepsy medication should generally be administered for one to two years without seizures before gradually reducing the dose. If seizures reoccur after dose reduction, or if there is significant worsening on electroencephalography (EEG), the dosage should be restored. If switching medications, take both medications concurrently for about a week, then gradually reduce the original medication to cessation while increasing the new medication to an effective dose. These are the principles of medication exchange and use. Then, consider the principles for attempting medication cessation. Generally, medication should not be ceased any earlier than one year and abrupt cessation should be avoided to prevent epilepticus status. If there is clear organic brain disease, persistent positive neurological signs, or continuous mental disorders with abnormal EEG readings, lifelong medication may be necessary. Some suggest that individuals older than 30 should be cautious about stopping medication. Since the recurrence rate upon cessation can exceed 50%, lifelong medication may be necessary.
Can mild epilepsy be treated?
Mild epilepsy is treatable. If the patient is experiencing their first seizure or if the seizures are infrequent, it’s generally appropriate to observe clinically and not rush to use anti-epileptic drugs. Such patients typically experience only very mild neurological symptoms during a seizure, such as limb weakness, numbness, or facial droop. However, if the patient's seizures occur frequently, it is necessary to control the symptoms with anti-epileptic medications, which often include drugs such as levetiracetam, gabapentin, sodium valproate, and lamotrigine. Patients with mild epilepsy should also work on strengthening their exercise routines, maintaining a calm mind, and getting sufficient sleep to help prevent seizures to a certain extent. If the patient's condition worsens or becomes intractable epilepsy, surgical treatment methods may be considered to control the symptoms.
Precursors to epileptic seizures in children
The majority of childhood epilepsy seizures occur without any precursors, as they arise and cease suddenly with stereotyped movements. However, some seizures are preceded by prodromes, such as sudden onset of consciousness disturbances, or fainting symptoms. Other seizures can present with motor dysfunctions, displaying sudden weakness or fatigue in certain limbs, followed by an epileptic attack. Additionally, some may experience abnormal sensations, such as numbness in a specific area or visual disturbances, including sudden flashes or even visual distortions, leading to convulsive seizures.
What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?
The typical symptoms of childhood epilepsy include sudden loss of consciousness, followed initially by tonic and then clonic convulsions, often accompanied by screaming, cyanotic facial complexion, frothing or bleeding at the mouth, dilated pupils, generally lasting 40 seconds or up to 15 minutes. The convulsive seizure stops naturally, followed by a state of coma. Of course, some affected children also display varying degrees of consciousness disorders, evident disruptions in thinking, perception, emotion, and psychomotor functions, and may show signs of conditions like somnambulism and noctambulism, among other automatisms.
Early Symptoms of Baby Epilepsy
The early symptoms of epilepsy in babies include excessive sweating on the head during feeding and sleep. Due to the irritation of the sweat, the child likes to shake their head, which causes friction on the back of the head, leading to hair loss over time. Additionally, the child appears restless and easily wakes up during sleep. If parents notice these symptoms of epilepsy, they should seek treatment for their child early to avoid delays and recurrent conditions.
What are the early symptoms of epilepsy in children?
Epilepsy is a particularly common chronic disease in life. If the brain is underdeveloped and there are neurological disorders, it can cause epilepsy. What are the early symptoms of childhood epilepsy? The manifestations of a child's epileptic seizure are diverse, but all have the characteristics of sudden onset, sudden cessation, and periodic attacks. Common types in children include major seizures, absence minor seizures, and benign childhood epilepsy. During a major seizure, the child suddenly loses consciousness, breathing stops, the complexion turns cyanotic, the pupils dilate, the limbs stiffen, and the hands clench into fists, then switching to paroxysmal convulsions, foaming at the mouth, with the attack generally lasting 1-5 minutes. Children with absence seizures appear to suddenly lose consciousness, stop their activities, and stare upward or roll their eyes, but they do not fall down or convulse, lasting 1-10 seconds, with consciousness quickly recovering after the attack. Benign childhood epilepsy seizures often involve twitching of one side of the face, lips, and tongue, possibly accompanied by abnormal sensations in those areas, inability to speak, and drooling, typically with clear consciousness, and more frequently occurring at night.