Treatments For Seizures In Children
Following any seizure, perform first aid. Where a seizure continues for an extended period of time , seek medical assistance. It might be necessary for a health professional to give medication to stop it.
If a child experiences multiple seizures, regular medication might be needed. Several different medications might need to be tried to find one that is effective. Other treatments, such as surgery or vagus nerve stimulation therapy, are sometimes used.
Safety Precautions For Children Who Have Seizures
The biggest risk to children who have seizures is where they occur. If a child is walking down the stairs or is in the bathroom and has a seizure, the child risks falling and hurting themselves.
Most importantly, especially here in Texas in the summertime, if a child is in the water and has a seizure, they can fall under the water and drown. We tell parents to be very careful about watching kids anywhere around water, including lakes, pools, the bathtub or shower.
Take these seizure precautions to ensure your child remains safe.
- Avoid tub baths showers are safer than baths
- Make sure the bathroom door is not locked
- No swimming without constant adult supervision
- Wear a life jacket at all times when boating or on a jet ski
- No climbing higher than 10 feet including ladders, trees and bunk beds
- Wear a helmet at all times when bike riding and horseback riding
- For children with frequent seizures, avoid bike riding on streets
- No cooking over an open stove or using an iron
- Teenagers with uncontrolled seizures shouldn’t drive, including ATVs, mini-motor cycles, 4-wheelers
- Do not allow the handling of firearms
As a parent, it will be helpful to develop a plan and to share your plan with others to help keep your child safe during a seizure. Talk to your child’s school or anyone who may be in contact with your child about seizure first aid and safety.
How Can I Prevent My Baby From Having Seizures
What to Do Gently place your child on the floor or the ground. Remove any nearby objects. Place your child on his or her side to prevent choking. Loosen any clothing around the head and neck. Watch for signs of breathing problems, including bluish color in the face. Try to keep track of how long the seizure lasts.
No related posts.
Also Check: How To Help My Newborn Sleep Longer At Night
Group B Strep Infection
One in every four women have group B strep colonization without even realizing it, as most women are asymptomatic carriers. Because of that, it is important that physicians examine their pregnant patients at 37 weeks to make sure that the mother doesnt pass the bacteria on to the child.
It is also important for doctors to recognize and respond to symptoms that appear in the newborn, such as:
- Fever
Seizures can be an extreme manifestation of these symptoms.
Etiology Of Neonatal Seizure Disorders
The abnormal central nervous system electrical discharge may be caused by a
-
Primary intracranial process
-
Systemic problem
Seizures resulting from an intracranial process usually cannot be differentiated from seizures resulting from a systemic problem by their clinical features .
Neonatal seizures may be familial some have genetic causes. Benign familial neonatal convulsions is a potassium channelopathy inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy is a rare disorder associated with a variety of mutations.
You May Like: How Often Should A Formula Fed Newborn Eat
What Does A Seizure Look Like In A Child
A seizure can look like lots of different things in a child. The most commonly recognized signs of a seizure are when the body stiffens and shakes. These types of convulsive seizures can cause a person to fall and injure themselves, bite their tongue or lose control of the bladder or bowel.
Other seizures are not as obvious. Some children may have a seizure but only stare into space, blank out or not respond to a parent these are sometimes called “absence” or petit mal seizures. Often when this happens, parents might think their child is not paying attention. This type of seizure can go undiagnosed for months or even years.
Depending on the type of seizure, a child can experience many different symptoms. Common signs of a seizure include:
- Blank staring
- Uncontrollable shaking or jerking movements
- Wandering
What To Do If A Baby Has A Seizure
What to Do if Your Child Has a Seizure:
You May Like: How Many Hours Should A Newborn Sleep At Night
When To Get Emergency Help
It is important to remember that seizures usually stop on their own in a few minutes and do not cause brain damage, unless they last for more than 30 to 60 minutes. However, you should call for emergency help if any of the following occurs:
- Your child has trouble breathing during the seizure and the child’s color changes.
- The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, and you do not have a seizure rescue medicine.
- Your child chokes on secretions .
- Your child is injured during a fall or during the seizure and requires first aid .
Have someone stay close to your child after the seizure. Within 30 minutes you should be able to get some response from him, such as opening his eyes, pushing you away or beginning to arouse. If you cannot get any response from your child within 30 minutes after the seizure, you should get emergency help.
For more information on how to care for your child during a seizure, refer to Helping Hand HH-I-61, Seizure Care.
If you have any questions, please ask your childs doctor or nurse or call ________________.
If you need to speak with someone after regular office hours, call the hospital operator at 722-2000 and ask to speak with the neurology physician on call.
How Are Febrile Seizures Evaluated
Before diagnosing febrile seizures in infants and children, a doctor will review a childs medical history and perform a physical exam. Doctors often perform other tests such as examining the blood and urine to pinpoint the cause of the child’s fever. Dehydration from severe diarrhea or vomiting could be responsible for seizures.
Meningitis, an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain, can cause both fever and seizures that can look like febrile seizures but are much more serious. If a doctor suspects a child has meningitis, removing and evaluating a small of the cerebrospinal fluid may be needed.
If the seizure is either very prolonged or is accompanied by a serious infection, or if the child is younger than 6 months of age, the clinician may recommend hospitalization. In most cases, however, a child who has a febrile seizure usually will not need to be hospitalized.
Read Also: How Many Times Should I Bathe My Newborn
Neonatal Seizures: Causes Diagnosis And What To Do Next
Disclaimer: Please know that our website is owned by a medical malpractice law firm that focuses exclusively on birth injury cases. We try to provide useful medical information to our readers, but we cannot provide treatments or medical advice. If you think your child may be having a seizure, please call 911/your countrys emergency number or your doctor.
Seizures are involuntary jerking movements, caused by abnormal electrical patterns in the brain from brain damage or problematic neurochemistry. Neonatal seizures seizures in a baby are often subtle and difficult to identify.
They can be caused by a number of factors, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy , infections, and birth trauma. HIE and fetal oxygen deprivation are the most common causes. Neonatal seizures can also worsen existing brain damage.
Jump to:
Diagnosing Epilepsy In New
If its suspected that your baby might have epilepsy, its important they are referred to a specialist. This should be a doctor who has specialist training in diagnosing and treating epilepsy in this age group. The specialist will ask whether:
- There are any changes in your babys behaviour
- All the seizures look the same, and last the same length of time
- The seizures happen while the baby is awake or asleep, or both
- The seizures are caused by changes in the babys posture, or when they are doing different things
- The seizures interfere with, or stop, the babys activities, such as feeding
- You can stop the seizures after they have started
You could help the specialist by recording any behaviour changes on your mobile phone. The specialist may arrange for some, or all of, the following tests:
- Blood and urine tests. These are to check the babys general health, and to look for any medical conditions that might be causing their seizures. They can also be used to find out if the seizures are not caused by epilepsy, but another medical condition. An example would be low blood sugar or low calcium levels
- MRI scan
Epilepsy Action has more information about diagnosing epilepsy
Don’t Miss: How To Get Rid Of Constipation In A Newborn
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.
What Do You Do If A Baby Has A Seizure
It is imperative that babies with seizures receive prompt medical care. In addition, there are certain steps parents can take during a seizure if there is no medical professional with them. These general precautions were taken from the Epilepsy Foundation website :
- Remain with the baby until the seizure is over
- Move hard objects out of the way
- Place the baby on a soft surface
- Make sure that nothing goes into the babys mouth
- Turn the baby to their side, with their mouth pointed toward the ground. This stops saliva from blocking the airway and helps with breathing.
- Time how long the seizure lasts
Additionally, if your baby has a history of seizures, administer anti-seizure medication as prescribed by a doctor.
Many parents want to know under which circumstances they should call 911 if their child is having a seizure. This depends on individual health circumstances, including what type of seizure they are having. If a child is having their first ever seizure, parents should always call 911. After the initial seizure, you can talk to your childs doctor about the circumstances under which you should seek emergency medical attention for possible future seizures. The doctors advice should be based on individual factors and may be different for different patients.
Also Check: How To Start A Newborn Photography Business
First Aid For Convulsive Seizures
If your child has a convulsion , follow these steps for seizure first aid:
- Stay calm and stay with your child
- Turn your child on their side
- Make your child as comfortable as possible, cushion the head and remove glasses
- Loosen any tight clothing
- Do not ever put anything in your child’s mouth
- Do not try to “stop” the convulsions or restrain your child
- Pay attention to the length of the seizure when the seizure started and stopped
What Does An Infant Seizure Look Like Compare Baby
Another sign is when somebody parts, symptoms, Testing is essential to confirm the diagnosis of a seizure disorder.If your child has a seizure, These seizures are the most common type of infant seizures and are usually caused by a fever above 102 degrees, and their eyes may roll, A seizure usually affects how a person looks or acts for a short time, there are a few things you can do to help doctorsWhat are the Signs of Infant Seizures?Signs and Symptoms of Infant Seizures, Often several spasms occur over a few minutes, neck or upper arms start jerking in clusters severally it means that the infant is having a seizure known as myoclonic seizures, this seizure is a common type that attacks infants, It is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system.
Don’t Miss: How Much Formula Do I Give My Newborn
What To Do If Your Baby Has A Seizure
See your pediatrician if you think your baby is having seizures. “If possible, take a video of the episode on your smartphone to show to your doctor,” suggests Dr. Hartman, who is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Neurology. It’s important to pay attention to these things:
- How long the seizure lasts
- Where the seizure started and whether it spread to other body parts
- What the movement looked like
- What your baby was doing right before the episode
It can be frightening to watch your baby in the grips of a seizure. The most important thing you can do is make sure she is protected from injuries. Move away hard objects and roll her onto her side to help prevent choking in case she vomits. Do not try to snap her out of it or place anything in her mouth. Call 911 if your baby has trouble breathing, turns blue, seizes for more than five minutes, or is unresponsive for 30 minutes after a seizure ends.
If your baby is prone to seizures, your doctor may order a diagnostic test, such as an electroencephalogram , which traces the electrical waves of the brain, or a brain-imaging test, such as a magnetic resonance imaging scan, to determine a cause.
Copyright & copy 2014 Meredith Corporation.
How Do I Know If My Baby Has Infantile Spasms
Symptoms of Infantile Spasms
Also Check: Why Does My Newborn Breathe So Fast
What Causes Febrile Seizures
No one knows why febrile seizures happen. But evidence suggests that they’re linked to some and the way that a child’s developing brain reacts to high fevers.
p2
If your child has a , stay calm and:
If the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, or your child turns blue, it may be a more serious type of seizure .
It’s also important to know what you should not do during a febrile seizure:
- Do not try to hold or restrain your child.
- Do not put anything in your child’s mouth.
- Do not try to give your child fever-reducing medicine.
- Do not try to put your child into cool or lukewarm water to cool off.
When the seizure is over, call your doctor for an appointment to find the cause of the fever. The doctor will examine your child and ask you to describe the seizure. In most cases, no other treatment is needed. The doctor might order tests if your child is under 1 year old and had other symptoms, like vomiting or diarrhea.
The doctor may recommend the standard treatment for fevers, which is acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Giving these medicines around the clock is not recommended and won’t prevent febrile seizures.