Symptoms of Tonic Seizure in Infants
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, generalized tonic-clonic seizures are rare in infants and more often seen in toddlers or young children. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures usually occur as part of an epilepsy syndrome affecting the infant or child. However, sometimes these types of seizures are the result of breath-holding and not epilepsy.-
Duration
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Generalized tonic-clonic seizures may last for two or three minutes. If the seizure lasts for more than five minutes or if several seizures occur one after the other, medical treatment is needed as soon as possible.
Muscle Jerks
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Generalized tonic-clonic seizures usually begin with muscle jerks affecting the arms. The limbs may then jerk uncontrollably throughout the seizure. The chest muscles may contract, and the jaw muscles might tighten.
Breathing Changes
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Breathing may stop momentarily during the seizure. Lack of oxygen may cause the lips to turn blue. Once the seizure begins to end, breathing will be very labored for a few minutes before returning to normal.
Loss of Consciousness
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During a tonic-clonic seizure, infants and children are not aware of their surroundings. They lose consciousness completely during the seizure, and their eyes may roll back in their head. Consciousness will be regained slowly after the seizure.
Effects
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After the seizure, the infant or child may appear confused and may sleep for awhile. The child may have a headache and sore muscles after the seizure. Some children may bite their tongues or the insides of their cheeks, resulting in soreness following the seizure. Infants or children typically have no recollection of the seizure.
Treatment
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If the seizures occur as a result of breath-holding, no treatment is given and it is expected that the child will outgrow the seizures. If the seizures are part of a seizure disorder, such as the one known as generalized tonic-clonic seizures upon awakening syndrome, anti-seizure medications will be needed to control the seizures.
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