Seizure Disorders in Babies

Your baby suddenly stops what she's doing and stares into space. Or her eyes roll back. Or she has sudden, jerky movements. Or she falls, limp, to the floor. You're scared to death. Is your baby having seizures? Be prepared to decide and act quickly.

What is a Seizure?

• A seizure is an abrupt surge of electrical activity in the brain that usually affects how a person behaves for a brief period. Seizures are not a disease, but they can be a symptom of a variety of diseases and disorders.

Can Babies Have Seizures?

• Anyone can have a seizure, including newborns and babies. If you think your baby might have had a seizure, write down his symptoms and call your pediatrician immediately.

Symptoms

• Perfectly healthy babies often have jerky movements that can be confused with a seizure. However, there are several ways to distinguish the difference between normal movements and a seizure. For example, does your baby always shake when you change her clothes? Then it's probably her way of saying she doesn't like getting her clothes changed. Many infants also shake when they first wake up.

  Are you able to prevent your baby from jerking or shaking? If you gently hold his arm and he still jerks, he may be having a seizure.

  Also notice the shape of the movements. Are they all on one side of the body? Do two limbs move the same way at the same time? This may also indicate a seizure.
  Is your baby responsive? With a seizure, she's less likely to respond, especially if she's a newborn.

Causes

• Finding the underlying cause of seizures in babies is sometimes challenging. Epilepsy is certainly possible, and usually appears before age 5, but a host of other disorders could also be to blame. Diabetes can cause seizures, as can brain trauma. Both are not uncommon among babies.

  Although we think of strokes as a problem for adults, babies can have strokes, too, and strokes can trigger seizures. Poisoning can sometimes cause seizures, and--infrequently-- so can meningitis. The rare hemolytic uremic syndrome also causes seizures in babies.

  In addition, infants are sometimes born with benign familial neonatal convulsions, a rare genetic disorder. Although it's usually handed down from a parent, sometimes a baby's DNA can spontaneously mutate, causing the disorder. Fortunately, seizures from this disorder typically disappear after 9 months of age.

  One type of seizure--a febrile seizure--is relatively common among otherwise healthy babies. It's caused by a fever, is usually harmless and isn't likely to happen more than once. Nonetheless, even if you suspect your baby's fever is caused by fever, you should visit the pediatrician.

Diagnosis

• Because there are many possible causes for seizures, your baby may undergo a wide range of testing, from blood tests to CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography) scans.

  An EEG (electroencephalogram) is the best way to diagnose seizures in adults and children, but is more problematic for infants. Only pediatric neurologists should interpret EEGs of babies.