Caring for a child with seizures can be overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure of what to expect or how to help in a crisis. With proper support, you can feel more confident in managing your child’s condition and ensuring their safety.
What Do Seizures Mean in a Child?
Seizures in children are caused by disturbances in the brain’s electrical signals that temporarily interrupt normal brain function.
“Seizures in a child, in general, mean any episode of unresponsiveness where the child doesn’t respond to a parent’s touch and voice, and they stop doing what they were doing,” says Dr. Gull Zareen Sial, MD, a pediatric neurologist at UPMC Children’s Specialty Services in central Pa.
Seizures can be related to epilepsy, a neurological
disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures due to abnormal
electrical activity in the brain. About 470,000 American children under the age
of 14 have epilepsy. Seizures can also be provoked or caused by a known issue,
such as head trauma, infection, low blood sugar, or electrolyte imbalances.
Types and Signs of Seizures in Children
Pediatric seizures can present in different ways, says
Dr. Sial. Signs often depend on the type and cause of the episode.
Generalized seizures may arise from both sides of the
brain. They can cause loss of consciousness and drowsiness, confusion, nausea,
or heart rate fluctuation and headache after the seizure.
Symptoms may include:
- Confusion
or drowsiness after the seizure.
- Difficulty
breathing or shallow breathing.
- Drooling
or foaming at the mouth.
- No
response to being spoken to or touched.
- Pallor
or blue grey facial discoloration.
- Stiffening
of the body and/or jerking movements.
- Sudden,
brief jerks or twitches of the arms, legs, or head.
- Sudden
loss of consciousness or collapsing.
Focal seizures, by contrast, happen when an abnormal electrical current arises from one side of the brain. They’re also called partial seizures.
Symptoms may include:
- May
or may not respond during the seizure.
- Repetitive
movements of one side of the body, which may progress to involve the whole
body.
- Sensory
changes, such as vision or hearing disturbances.
- Staring
or rapid eye movements.
Causes of Seizures in Children
Primary factors that contribute to epilepsy include birth
complications, such as lack of oxygen during birth or premature birth; brain
injury, tumors, bleeding, and infection; electrolyte imbalances, such as
abnormal levels of sodium, calcium, or magnesium; genetic factors and inherited
metabolic disorders; high fever in young children; immune system dysfunction,
which can lead to brain inflammation and seizures; and differences in brain
structure.
Seizures can happen for a variety of reasons beyond
epilepsy. In these cases, once the root cause is properly treated, children may
never experience a seizure again. Some of the common causes of provoked
seizures include fever, infections, stroke, low blood sugar, electrolyte
imbalances, and more.
“Children are able to outgrow age-specific seizure disorders,” especially with proper treatment, says Dr. Sial. “Sometimes, the seizures might come back,” or require ongoing treatment, such as medication.
If Your Child Has a Seizure
“Witnessing a child have a seizure can be frightening, but it’s important to stay calm and take the right steps to ensure their safety,” says Dr. Sial. “Seizure first aid plays a crucial role in helping the child.”
It’s important to:
1. Stay calm and time it – Stay composed and start timing the seizure right away.
2. Ensure safety – Make sure the child is lying on their side to help keep their airway open and protect the child’s head without restraining them.
3. Never put objects in their mouth – Do not try to put anything in the child’s mouth during a seizure.
4. Monitor breathing – After the seizure, check if the child is breathing.
5. Stay with the child – Never leave a
child alone during a seizure. Stay with them, even after the seizure ends, to
offer comfort and monitor their recovery.
6. Record details – Write down the details of the seizure, such as the time it started, how long it lasted, the movements or behaviors observed, and any triggers.
7. Report – Report the episode to the child’s doctor or epilepsy specialist.
When to seek emergency help
Get emergency treatment if:
- The
seizure lasts longer than five minutes.
- The
child has a second seizure shortly after the first.
- The
child is injured during the seizure.
- This is the child’s first seizure.
- The child has difficulty breathing or doesn’t regain consciousness.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Neurologists often use blood tests, brainwave testing,
and neuroimaging, such as MRI and CT, to differentiate between provoked and
epileptic seizures. This helps guide the treatment.
Treatment includes addressing the cause of a seizure. If
it is epileptic, the child may need daily antiseizure medication and rescue
medication for seizures longer than five minutes.
Dr. Sial says it’s critical to monitor and treat seizures in small children immediately. “Sometimes, children can have seizures in the brain that you cannot see with your eyes,” she says.
“Once a child has a seizure, you want them to live as normal of a life as possible,” she says. “But I think the most important thing is there should be eyes on the child at all times at home and at school.”
Dr. Sial recommends looking to the Epilepsy Foundation, the American Academy of Neurology, and local organizations to find the support you need. If care is needed for your child, please talk to you pediatrician who can refer you to a pediatric neurologist. For more information about UPMC Children’s Specialty Services, please visit UPMC.com/CentralPaPediatrics.
Photo Caption: Dr. Gull Zareen Sial, MD, a
pediatric neurologist at UPMC Children’s Specialty Services in central Pa.
