Epilepsy in children: symptoms and causes

In our children’s diseases dictionary you will find information on the causes and the best treatment options for children’s diseases from A to Z.

epilepsy in children

If your child has epilepsy, they will have epileptic seizures sometimes or regularly. The seizures are the result of a sudden but mostly temporary dysfunction of the central nervous system. These have a threatening effect on bystanders, but usually subside after a few minutes.

According to the German Epilepsy Association, an average of 47 out of every 100,000 people in Germany develop epilepsy every year . This corresponds to around 38,000 new cases per year. A third of the diseases begin in childhood. Approximately one in ten people can have an epileptic seizure at some point in their life. However, most of these cases are unique, such as febrile seizures in small children .

Causes of Epilepsy

There are many causes of seizures and epilepsy. It can be hereditary, but it can also be caused by damage to the brain, such as meningitis , traumatic brain injury, or cerebral hemorrhage. High fever with fever cramps, sleep deprivation, poisoning or metabolic disorders can also lead to epileptic seizures. If several factors come together, the probability of an epileptic seizure increases.

Epilepsy  Symptoms : Epileptic seizure

Epilepsy can manifest itself in different ways, the range of types of seizures is wide: Some children are mentally absent for only a few seconds during the seizure (absence), others suffer from impaired consciousness and are shaken up by muscle spasms throughout the body for several minutes ( grand mal seizure). Certain sensory perceptions can also occur before the seizure. Children hear noises or see things that do not exist (hallucinations). During a seizure, the child often rolls their eyes or stares and does not respond when spoken to.

The spasms often begin in a small area of ​​the body, such as the corners of the mouth or one hand, and then spread. The muscles of the entire body or individual parts of the body (eg arms and/or legs) can then be permanently tense (this is referred to as a tonic seizure) or show twitching movements (clonic seizure). Both forms can occur one after the other or alternately.

During the convulsive phase, most people bite their tongue. Serious tongue injuries are rare.

treat epilepsy

You should definitely call an ambulance when your child has their first epileptic seizure. Your child must be examined by a doctor after the seizure, especially if there were no signs of epilepsy before. If your child has had epilepsy for a long time, a seizure is no longer an emergency unless it lasts longer than five minutes or there are several seizures that follow one another.

Try to keep calm yourself when you have an attack. Make sure your child doesn’t hurt themselves during the seizure and place a pillow under their head. Don’t try to put anything in his mouth or try to protect his tongue in any way – you’re more likely to hurt yourself. Also, serious tongue injuries are extremely rare. After the attack, regular breathing will resume on its own. In our article “ Epileptic seizure: first aid ” you will find further useful recommendations for action.

In the case of epilepsy, it is important to clarify the background of the disease. It is also important whether epilepsy progresses or occurs with the same intensity. If there are more than two seizures, the doctor will prescribe antiseizure drugs for your child.

If your child’s epilepsy is diagnosed and treated in good time, your child has a good chance that the seizures will only occur occasionally or not at all. The tendency to seizures often goes away on its own after puberty.

Incidentally, the prejudice that people who suffer from epilepsy are less intelligent than others is not true. Caesar, Alexander the Great and Napoleon, for example, and many other celebrities were epileptics.

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