What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
Updated on September 28, 2024
00:00
00:00

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.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
1min 4sec home-news-image

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a common disease in neurology and includes many types, generally including primary epilepsy and secondary epilepsy. Primary epilepsy refers to cases where the cause is unknown, while secondary epilepsy has a clear cause. Common causes include developmental disorders of the cerebral cortex, tumors, and cerebrovascular diseases, traumatic brain injuries, and central nervous system infections, including encephalitis, meningitis. Cerebrovascular diseases such as cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction can also induce epilepsy. Additionally, certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as motor neuron disease and late-stage Parkinson's disease can also trigger epileptic seizures. Patients with ischemic hypoxic encephalopathy and toxic encephalopathy may also experience epileptic seizures, and some systemic diseases may also lead to epileptic seizures.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
40sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
1min 10sec home-news-image

What are the clinical manifestations of epilepsy?

Epilepsy is caused by abnormal discharges of brain cells, and the symptoms and clinical manifestations vary depending on the area of discharge. Main symptoms can include sudden loss of consciousness, rigidity followed by clonic convulsions, and may also involve cyanosis or purpling of the face, tongue biting, frothing at the mouth, urinary incontinence, dilated pupils, continuing for several seconds to minutes before stopping. This condition is called a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Some patients may also experience sudden brief loss of consciousness and interruption of ongoing actions, with a blank stare and unresponsive to calls. They may perform simple automatic actions like swallowing or chewing. Generally, there is no falling, and the patient has no memory of the episode afterwards. This type of seizure is known as an absence seizure. Additionally, some may experience rigidity and clonic convulsions in one limb or a localized area, etc.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tong Peng
Pediatrics
51sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
1min 13sec home-news-image

What medicine should not be taken for epilepsy?

Patients with epilepsy mainly rely on some internal medicine drugs for treatment. There are many drugs available today, many of which can effectively control the occurrence of epilepsy and improve the quality of life of the patients. However, it is also important to note that some drugs should not be taken in reduced quantities, Firstly, there are some drugs that affect the liver. Many drugs can impact the liver, and since many antiepileptic drugs are metabolized through the liver, combining them can increase the burden on the liver and even induce necrotic hepatitis, Secondly, it is necessary to choose the medication according to the type of epileptic seizures. For example, if it is a visual seizure, or a myoclonic seizure, then one should not take Phenytoin sodium and Carbamazepine, as these two drugs can potentially exacerbate myoclonic and visual seizures, Thirdly, patients with epilepsy should also avoid taking drugs that affect the metabolism of epilepsy medication. If used together, it can cause a reduction in the efficacy of the epilepsy drugs, easily triggering an epileptic attack, or even a prolonged state of epilepsy.