What Causes Seizures In Newborns

Tests To Confirm Infant Seizure Diagnosis

The most popular test to confirm that an individual is having a seizure is an electroencephalogram . It An EEG shows normal and abnormal brain activity and patterns. It is more difficult to interpret EEGs among newborns because their brains are still developing and becoming more defined. Generally, only a trained pediatric neurologist can accurately interpret newborn EEGs.

In addition to an EEG, doctors may recommend magnetic resonance imaging with special epilepsy protocol. They may also do lab work to test for chemical or metabolic disorders. In some cases, genetic testing and chromosomal studies are helpful.

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What Causes Seizures In Newborns

If youre the parent of a newborn, few things are more frightening than your child having a seizure. What caused it? Will it happen again? Did it cause any lasting harm to the baby? Are there underlying problems that led to the seizure?

True neonatal seizures are those that occur within 28 days of birth, but of course, any seizure in an infant or child is a matter worth checking out with a doctor. Some seizures may be difficult to detect in newborns, because they are brief and because newborns, of course, dont have control over their muscles as an adult or older child would. In fact, many of the signs of seizures are also movements that a typical newborn might make. A good rule of thumb is to not panic, but to speak with your pediatrician. If you are able, videotape the suspected seizure activity to show your doctor in case he or she isnt able to witness a suspected seizure.

Some indications of a seizure in a newborn or young infant include:

If you start to get a feeling that your babys movements are not normal, or someone else comments on it, dont ignore it. It is worth checking out with your babys doctor. If it turns out to be nothing, you will have peace of mind if what you are witnessing turns out to be seizure activity, your doctor can begin guiding you through the process of diagnosis and treatment.

What Is An Infant Seizure

An infant seizure, or neonatal seizure, refers to any seizures that happen during the first 28 days of an infants life, during the neonatal period. There are two categories of infant seizures subtle seizures and motor seizures.

Subtle seizures are the most common type of infant seizure. As the name suggests, they are called subtle because the seizure characteristics imitate normal behaviour in an infant. These symptoms may appear as everyday behaviours:

• Eye movements: eyes rolling up, fluttering eyelids, fixated gaze
• Mouth/Tongue movements: lip smacking, tongue protrusion or sticking out
• Limb movements: repeated movements such as pedalling with legs, swimming, thrashing movements and
• Other movements: long pauses between breathing

Because these symptoms may not be obvious as motor seizures , your medical team may recommend EEG monitoring for infants to determine if the behaviors are being caused by abnormal brain activity. Subtle seizures can be caused by an existing brain injury, and ongoing infection or an underlying health condition like cerebral palsy.

Motor Seizures are broadly defined as seizures that change muscle behaviour like muscle stiffness , repeated jerking , or muscle weakness. There are three types of seizures that are common in infants and they are categorized by the type of movements seen during the seizure:.

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What Pain Relief Can I Have During Labour

There are different options for pain relief during labour. Here are some important things to consider:

• Epidurals can be given to women with epilepsy
• High doses of the pain relief drug pethidine can trigger seizures
• Diamorphine can be used instead of pethidine
• TENS machines are often used as pain relief during labour and are reported to be suitable for women with epilepsy
• Gas and air can be given to women with epilepsy

Learn First Aid For A Baby Or Child Who Is Having A Febrile Seizure

Febrile seizures are caused by a fever or high temperature.

1. The baby or child having a febrile seizure may be less responsive or unresponsive, arch their back, clench their fists, stiffen their body and may shake vigorously. They may look red-faced, be hot to the touch and sweating.

You may also notice their eyes roll upwards and they may hold their breath.

2. Protect them from injury but do not restrain them.

Move things that could injure the baby or child while they are having a seizure. Use pillows or soft padding, such as a blanket or clothing, to protect their head.

3. Take off their outer clothing to help cool them.

4. When the seizure is over, help them to rest on their side with their head tilted back. Call 999 for emergency help.

Helping them to lie on their side with their head back will help them to keep breathing. Monitor and reassure them until help arrives.

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Whats The Difference Between Infantile Spasms And The Startle Reflex

While infantile spasms can look similar to a normal startle reflex in babies, theyre different.

The startle reflex happens when a loud sound or sudden movement startles your baby. They typically throw their head back and extend their arms and legs with the palms of their hands facing upward. They may also cry and often pull their arms and legs back in.

This chart can help you tell the difference between infantile spasms and the startle reflex.

Will A Seizure Harm My Baby

Most babies recover from a seizure without any harm. Rarely, a prolonged seizure may cause problems.

Seeing your baby have a seizure can be a very distressing experience for parents/carers, but you must try to remain calm.

It is also important to seek medical assistance as soon as possible. For more information on how to manage a seizure when it occurs, see the First aid at home section below.

Seizures may occur once, a few times, or in clusters whereby seizures occur frequently, then stop and start again within a short period of time.

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Hypoxic Ischemic Brain Injury

Perhaps the most common cause of infant seizures is a brain injury caused by hypoxic ischemia during labour and delivery. These types of hypoxic-ischemic events happen when the fetus suffers reduced blood flow, causing a lack of oxygen to the brain, during labour and delivery. The loss of oxygen to the brain, if it goes on long enough, can cause a permanent brain injury known as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE. HIE is a preventable injury and is one of the most common grounds for birth injury medical malpractice claims.

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What Causes Babies To Have Seizures

Overall, 3 out of every 1,000 babies experience newborn seizures, many of which cause debilitating injuries. Of this number, up to 1.4% of term infants and 20% of premature babies will experience seizures.

The abnormal electrical discharges that result in seizures can be caused by various issues, including:

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Trauma From Vacuum Extractors

Vacuum extraction may take place during prolonged labour, if the baby has signs of fetal distress, or if the mother is experiencing fatigue. The tool is used by the physician to assist delivery of the baby through gentle pulling to assist in the delivery. A vacuum has a cup and the cup is placed on the top of the babys head and provides suction to guide the child through the birth canal. However, there are risks to vacuum assisted deliveries. The incorrect placement of a vacuum can lead to scalp wounds, shoulder dystocia, internal bleeding in the brain , and seizures.

Treatment Of The Cause

For low serum glucose, 10% dextrose 2 mL/kg IV is given, and the serum glucose level is monitored additional infusions are given as needed but cautiously, to avoid hyperglycemia.

For hypocalcemia, 10% calcium gluconate 1 mL/kg IV is given this dosage can be repeated for persistent hypocalcemic seizures. Rate of calcium gluconate infusion should not exceed 0.5 mL/minute continuous cardiac monitoring is necessary during the infusion. Extravasation should be avoided because skin may slough.

For hypomagnesemia, 0.2 mL/kg of a 50% magnesium sulfate solution is given IM.

Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics.

Herpes encephalitis is treated with acyclovir.

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How Long Do Sleepless Nights Last With Newborn

Sleepless nights are common in new parenthood, but they do not last forever. Most babies will begin to sleep for longer periods at night from the age of 6 months old. Newborn babies need to feed every few hours until the age of 3 months. After this, it is normal for infants to feed once or twice during the night.

Symptoms Of Subtle Seizures

Subtle seizures are more common among full-term babies. Symptoms of subtle seizures include:

• Random or roving eye movements, eyelid blinking or fluttering, eyes rolling up, eye opening, staring
• Sucking, smacking, chewing and protruding tongue
• Unusual bicycling or pedalling movements of the legs
• Thrashing or struggling movements
• Long pauses in breathing

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Will My Doctor Be Able To Know For Sure If My Child Is Having Seizures

If you suspect that your baby is having seizures, the pediatrician will typically refer you to a pediatric neurologist. Your babys pediatric neurologist may order and perform a number of tests to narrow down the type of seizures and their causes. The following tests can help diagnose infant seizures :

• An EEG to look for abnormal activity in the brain.
• An MRI of the head to look for structural abnormalities in the brain.
• Chromosomal studies to look for genetic disorders.
• A spinal tap to look for infection, chemical disorders, or metabolic disorders.
• Blood or urine tests to look for metabolic issues or chemical disorders.

I Have Seen Adults Have Seizures Before Is This What It Will Look Like If My Child Has A Seizure

Not necessarily. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, seizures in newborn babies can look very different from those that occur in older children and adults. Sometimes, parents think a healthy baby is having a seizure when they are, in fact, exhibiting something called the Moro reflex, which can occur if a baby is startled, or has jitters . These can look similar to shivering. On the other hand, when a baby is really having a seizure, it can be very difficult to recognize. Therefore, it is very important for parents to speak to a doctor about any concerns, even if they seem silly. It is your doctors job to answer your questions and run diagnostic tests if you have witnessed signs of a seizure.

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Early Detection Of Seizures In Infants Crucial To Brain Development

May 5, 2022

When caring for a baby who is younger than 2 years old, you may focuson the usual development milestones like weight gain and headcircumference. However, it may be worthwhile for pediatric specialistsand parents to work together to identify if the baby has anyneurological disorders.

About 100 per 100,000 infants will suffer seizures, which may be difficult to recognize, even as an expert or parent.

While it is difficult to recognizeseizures in infants, early detection is important. Seizures aresecondary to some other problem more often during infancy than at anyother time of life.

This is a critical period of braindevelopment, so the consequences are a lot more severe. If a babysbrain cant process information well they may lose a lot in terms oftheir ultimate development.

In turn, undiagnosed seizures can lead to futuretrouble concentrating, remembering and ability to learn. It can even belife-threatening.

About 100 per 100,000 infants will suffer seizures, which may be difficult to recognize, even as an expert or parent.

Some clues to various types of infantile seizures include:

• Random and abrupt pause in activity with the eyes slightly gazing to the side
• Arms or legs moving repeatedly and rhythmically and cannot be stopped
• Repeated spasms

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What Should Be Done For A Child Having A Febrile Seizure

Parents and caretakers should remain calm, take first aid measures, and carefully observe the child. If a child is having a febrile seizure, parents and caregivers should do the following:

• Note the start time of the seizure. If the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, call an ambulance. The child should be taken immediately to the nearest medical facility for diagnosis and treatment.
• Gradually place the child on a protected surface such as the floor or ground to prevent accidental injury. Do not restrain or hold a child during a convulsion.
• Position the child on his or her side or stomach to prevent choking. When possible, gently remove any objects from the childs mouth. Nothing should ever be placed in the childs mouth during a seizure. These objects can obstruct the childs airway and make breathing difficult.
• Seek immediate medical attention if this is the childs first febrile seizure and take the child to the doctor once the seizure has ended to check for the cause of the fever. This is especially urgent if the child shows symptoms of stiff neck, extreme lethargy, or abundant vomiting, which may be signs of meningitis, an infection over the brain surface.

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Why Is My Baby Having Seizures

There are a number of causes of seizures in newborns and babies. The good news is that seizures in a newborn do not necessarily mean that your baby will have epilepsy or a lifelong seizure disorder. The bad news is that seizures in your newborn does put him or her at increased risk of a seizure disorder later on.

Prematurity and low birth weight are risk factors for seizures in newborns, but most premature babies or low-birth weight babies do not have seizures.

Prematurity and low birth weight are risk factors for seizures in newborns, but most premature babies or low-birth weight babies do not have seizures. The most common causes of seizures in a newborn are:

• Oxygen deprivation before or during birth, which can cause hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy . The oxygen deprivation may be due to placental abruption, prolonged labor, or compression of the umbilical cord during labor and delivery
• Infection acquired either before or after birth, such as rubella , toxoplasmosis, bacterial meningitis, syphilis, or viral encephalitis
• Stroke suffered before, during, or after birth
• Bleeding in the brain
• Blood clot in the brain
• Abnormalities in the brain, either genetic in nature or which occurred during development of the fetus, including tuberous sclerosis
• Metabolic problems, including phenylketonuria

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How Does A Doctor Diagnose Infant Seizures

If you think your infant experienced a seizure, your doctor may use the following set of tests to diagnose seizure activity:

• EEG is a test that determines abnormalities in the electrical activity, or brain waves, of a brain. This test is the primary way to diagnose epilepsy and seizures.
• MRI is a test that uses a combination of magnets and radio waves to diagnose diseases or injuries especially in soft tissue.
• CT Scan combines x-rays to create images of the body. CT scan is used to identify any brain abnormalities that may be causing seizures, such as brain tumours.

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What Should I Tell My Doctor If I Think My Baby Had A Seizure

If you think your infant experienced a seizure, you will need to tell your doctor all of the information related to the specific episode including the length of the seizure and the symptoms you witnessed . It is important to explain that the symptoms were unusual or not part of your babys normal behaviour. In addition to that, you will want to let your doctor know if your infant has had any other behaviours like difficulty eating or breathing, lethargic movement, and/or unusual muscle spasms.

Other Signs Of Birth Injury

Seizures after birth are one sign that a birth injury may have occurred, but they are not the only sign. The following signs may also be cause for concern and warrant further investigation:

• The baby is pale or blue in color after delivery
• The baby has trouble breathing after delivery
• The babys heart rate is abnormal around the time of birth
• The baby requires resuscitation to help with breathing or heart rate
• The baby has a low Apgar score at one minute and/or at five minutes after birth
• The baby has an umbilical cord blood gas reading that is abnormal
• The baby is sluggish or lethargic
• The baby has difficulty with or no interest in feeding
• The baby has odd movements in the face, arms, or legs
• The baby favors one side of the body

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What Are Seizures

Seizures result from sudden and uncontrolled electrical disturbances in the brain’s nerve cells. Most people connect seizures with shaking and convulsive movements.

Babies, especially neonates , have undeveloped brains. They are more likely to experience these electrical disturbances and have seizures.

Between one and five¹ per 1,000 neonatal babies experience seizures.