Epilepsy is a neurological condition affecting the brain and nervous system that can occur to people in all walks of life at a rate of approximately 0.5-1%. But, children and the elderly are more likely to develop epilepsy syndrome than others.
A child with epilepsy syndrome may show signs of changes in movement, behaviour, sensations and awareness, known as seizures, which may last from a few seconds to a few minutes.
A child with epilepsy may also experience less brain development so it is important for parents to help their child maintain a healthy lifestyle and have regular medical visits.
Genetic abnormalities may be some of the most important factors contributing to epilepsy in children. Other factors include malformations of the brain, damage to the brain due to infection during pregnancy or brain haemorrhage during birth, head injury, brain tumours, as well as low blood sugar and/or calcium.
There are many different types of seizures depending on which part of the brain is affected. Focal seizures, for instance, affect only one side of the brain, while generalised seizures affect both sides of the brain.
Generally, adults and children have the same types of seizure, although some may be more common in children than adults. For example, "absence seizures", which can be very brief, are often mistaken for daydreaming or just not paying attention.
In some types of seizure, the child may be aware of what is happening. In other types, the child will be unconscious and have no memory of the seizure afterwards.
Some children may have seizures when they are asleep, known as sleeping or nocturnal seizure. Seizures during sleep can affect sleep patterns and may leave the child feeling tired and confused the next day.
To make a diagnosis of epilepsy, a doctor typically asks questions to gain a detailed medical history. This followed by the physician examining the using modern equipment such as electroencephalogram (EEG), computerised axial tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance image (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) scan, and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan.
Treatment for epilepsy usually begins with taking seizure-prevention medicines for a minimum of two years while reducing risk factors such as stress, excitement, boredom, missed medication, and lack of sleep.
In addition, a doctor may recommend a "ketogenic diet", a very low-carb diet to treat difficult-to-control epilepsy in children. This creates changes in the brain that reduce or eliminate seizures.
If a child does not have a seizure for a few years, the doctor may order them to stop taking medication. The patient should be kept under close supervision by both the doctor and the child's parents.
If the medication doesn't relieve the symptoms, the doctor will recommend other options. One option is brain surgery using the SEEG technique, a procedure to identify areas of the brain where epileptic seizures originate. During SEEG, doctors place electrodes in targeted areas of the brain that are then monitored to precisely locate the seizure source prior to undergoing surgery to remove the seizure source area.
Genetic abnormalities cannot be prevented. Physical and mental training is recommended to prevent children from occurrence of seizures. Children with epilepsy can take part in the same activities as other children with close supervision of a parent or someone who knows how to help them if a seizure happens.
