Medically Reviewed By
Dr. Monika Chhajed
Consultant – Gynaec Laparoscopic and Cancer Surgeon at Motherhood Chaitanya Hospital
Introduction
Parents may feel very scared and confused when their child has a seizure. A single seizure doesn’t always mean epilepsy, but if a person has multiple seizures that aren’t caused by anything, they are diagnosed with epilepsy. This is a neurological condition that affects millions of children around the world. To live with childhood epilepsy, you must be familiar with how complicated it is, how to find triggers, and how to choose the best treatment options.
What is epilepsy in children?
Epilepsy is a long-term neurological disorder that causes repeated seizures without an identifiable cause. A seizure is a short burst of electrical activity in the brain that changes how a person thinks or acts for a short time. Epilepsy can show up in kids in a lot of different ways, from subtle staring spells to more obvious convulsive seizures.
The Range of Seizures:
- Partial seizures, also called focal seizures, start in one part of the brain. The child may feel, move, or become aware of things in strange ways.
- Generalised Seizures: Affect both sides of the brain. Some of these are:
- Absence Seizures (Petit Mal): Short periods of staring that people often don’t notice.
- Tonic-Clonic Seizures (Grand Mal): These seizures cause the body to stiffen (tonic) and jerk (clonic) and lose consciousness.
- Myoclonic seizures are short, sudden jerks of the muscles.
- Atonic Seizures, also called Drop Attacks, are when you suddenly lose muscle tone and fall.
Figuring Out What Causes Childhood Epilepsy
The cause of epilepsy is often unknown (idiopathic), especially in kids, but there are a number of things that can make it worse:
- Genetic Factors: Some types of epilepsy are clearly linked to genes and run in families.
Certain gene changes can make a child more likely to have seizures.
- Brain damage or Brain abnormalities:
- Perinatal Injury: Problems during birth, such as lack of oxygen.
- Congenital Brain Malformations: Issues with brain development that happen before birth.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Intense head injuries
- Strokes: Blockage/blood vessels rupturing in the brain.
- Brain infections: These are conditions that cause inflammation in the brain and spinal cord membranes, like meningitis or encephalitis.
- Developmental Disorders: Kids with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities may be more likely to have epilepsy.
- Tumours: Brain tumours can cause seizures, but they are rare in kids.
Finding Triggers: What Can Cause a Seizure?
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Seizures may seem “unprovoked,” but many kids with epilepsy have specific things that can make a seizure more likely. Finding and dealing with these triggers is a big part of living with epilepsy.
- Sleep Deprivation: Not getting enough sleep is a very common and strong trigger.
- Stress and Emotional Distress: When you feel very strongly or are under a lot of stress.
- Sickness and Fever: Infections, especially those with high fevers (but not febrile seizures, which are not epilepsy).
- Flashing Lights: For kids with epilepsy that is sensitive to light.
- Missed medication doses: not taking anti-seizure medicine on a regular basis.
- Dehydration: not drinking enough water.
- Certain medications can interact with other drugs.
- Changes in hormones: more important for teens, but they can still play a role.
How to Choose the Right Treatment for Childhood Epilepsy
The main goal of treating epilepsy is to stop seizures and make the child’s life better. Plans for treatment are very unique.
- Anti-Seizure Medications (ASMs): These are the most common and effective treatment. There are a lot of different kinds, and it can take a lot of trial and error with a paediatric neurologist to find the right medication and dose.
Goal: To either stop seizures from occurring or make them occur less often and less severely.
- Dietary Therapies: The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that can work very well for some kids, especially those whose seizures are hard to control with medication. It needs close medical attention.
The Modified Atkins Diet and the Low Glycemic Index Diet are two less strict options for the ketogenic diet that also show promise.
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS): A surgical option: A small device is put under the skin of the chest and has a wire that goes around the vagus nerve in the neck. The device sends small electrical pulses to the brain, which can help lower the number of seizures.
- When to think about epilepsy surgery: For kids whose seizures start in a certain part of the brain that can be safely taken out without affecting important functions. This decision follows extensive evaluation by a specialized epilepsy team.
Helping Families and Kids with Epilepsy
FAQs:
You can book an appointment to visit Dr. Monika Chhajed through Motherhood Chaitanya Hospital website or you can call on 0172-5088088 or email at writetous@motherhoodindia.com
Epilepsy in children is a neurological condition where a child experiences recurring seizures due to abnormal brain activity.
Common triggers include fever, lack of sleep, flashing lights, stress, skipping medication, and certain infections.
Signs include staring spells, unusual jerking movements, sudden confusion, fainting, or temporary loss of consciousness.
Some children may experience an “aura” — unusual feelings, smells, or visual disturbances before a seizure.
Frequent seizures or underlying brain issues can sometimes impact cognitive and developmental progress.
You can book an appointment by calling the hospital directly, visiting the official Motherhood Chaitanya Hospital website, or using their online booking portal for pediatric neurology or epilepsy care.
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