Seizures Onset in Children

Epilepsy is a condition that can cause seizures in children as well as adults. The onset of epilepsy is most common in children under 5 years of age. There are medications that may be helpful in controlling seizure activity, allowing the child to have a normal childhood.

Identification

• Certain types of seizures may not be the result of an epileptic condition in children. Febrile seizures can occur with the sudden onset of fever and illness, and about 97 percent of children who have febrile seizures do not develop epilepsy.

Absence Seizures

• Children who experience absence seizures may appear to be daydreaming. The child may stare off into space for a few moments, then return to her previous activity; the most common age for absence seizures is 3 to 10 years.

Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

• Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy usually occurs between ages 12 and 18, and the child may experience seizures upon waking, myoclonic jerking and absence seizures. This type of seizure activity is well controlled with medication, but is not usually outgrown.

Infantile Spasms

• Infantile spasms usually occur within the first year of life and may precede other types of seizures. Clusters of jerks and spasms may make the baby lose his balance and fall forward.

Treatment

• Medication may help to prevent seizures in your child, depending on the type of epilepsy and your child's age. Other options available if seizures are not controlled by medicine are a ketogenic diet, surgery and vagus nerve stimulation.