Seizures in Children

• Around 3% of all children have a seizure when younger than 15 years, half of which are febrile seizures (seizure brought on by a fever). One of every 100 children has epilepsy-recurring seizures.
• A febrile seizure occurs when a child contracts an illness such as an ear infection, cold, or chickenpox accompanied by fever. Febrile seizures are the most common type of seizure seen in children. Two to five percent of children have a febrile seizure at some point during their childhood. Why some children have seizures with fevers is notknown, but several risk factors have been identified.
  • Children with relatives, especially brothers and sisters, who have had febrile seizures are more likely to have a similar episode.
  • Children who are developmentally delayed or who have spent more than 28 days in a neonatal intensive care unit are also more likely to have a febrile seizure.
  • One of 4 children who have a febrile seizure will have another, usually within a year.
  • Children who have had a febrile seizure in the past are also more likely to have a second episode.
• Neonatal seizures occur within 28 days of birth. Mostoccur soon after the child is born. They may be due to a large variety of conditions. It may be difficult to determine if a newborn is actually seizing, because they often do not have convulsions. Instead, their eyes appear to be looking in different directions. They may have lip smacking or periods of no breathing.
• Partial seizuresinvolve only a part of the brain and therefore only a part of the body.
  • Simple partial (Jacksonian) seizures have a motor (movement) component that is located in one portion of the body. Children with these seizures remain awake and alert. Movement abnormalities can “march” to other parts of the body as the seizure progresses.
  • Complex partial seizures are similar, except that the child is not aware of what is going on. Frequently, children with this type of seizurerepeat an activity, such as clapping, throughout the seizure. Theyhave no memory of this activity. After the seizure ends, the childis oftendisoriented in a state known as the postictal period.
• Generalized seizuresinvolve a much larger portion of the brain. They are grouped into 2 types: convulsive (muscle jerking) and nonconvulsive with several subgroups.
  • Tonic seizures result in continuous muscle contraction and rigidity, while tonic-clonic seizures involve alternating tonic activity with rhythmic jerking of muscle groups.
  • Infantile spasms commonly occur in children younger than 18 months. They are often associated with mental retardation and consist of sudden spasms of muscle groups, causing the child to assume a flexed stature. They are frequent upon awakening.
  • Absence seizures, also known as petit mal seizures, are short episodes during which the child stares or eye blinks, with no apparent awareness of their surroundings. These episodes usually do not last longer then a few seconds and start and stop abruptly; however, the childdoes not remember the event at all. These are sometimes discovered after the child’s teacher reports daydreaming, if the child loses his or her place while reading or misses instructions for assignments.

It is either a seizure lasting longer than 30 minutes or repeated seizures without a return to normal in between them. It is most common in children younger than 2 years, and most of these childrenhave generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Status epilepticus is very serious.