Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder, resulting from abnormalities in the brain. These abnormalities stimulate groups of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, leading to sudden and uncontrolled electrical discharges, triggering seizures.
Depending on the cortical area stimulated by abnormal brain waves, people with epilepsy may experience different symptoms such as convulsions, sudden absence of consciousness, spasticity of limbs, and a dull face like a person with amnesia. Confusion, turning the head or rubbing the hands unintentionally… When your child has an epileptic seizure leading to convulsions, he or she needs support and care, first aid, and depending on the actual situation, an ambulance can be called.
When your baby has epilepsy, you should put him or her down because most seizures go away on their own and recover slowly. If your baby is in a potentially dangerous situation such as near the road, sharp objects, electrical sources or hot objects, you need to move him or her away to ensure safety, and avoid crowding around the baby for ventilation.
Place your baby on his side, loosen clothing, especially around the neck area, to ensure a good airway to avoid suffocation. Don’t try to hold your baby tightly while he’s convulsing, don’t force him to lie down, just make sure to keep him safe from injury. Placing a soft object such as a pillow under your baby’s head can prevent injury during a seizure.
Observe the baby’s breathing, if you see that he is not breathing, check for too much vomit or saliva that is obstructing his breathing. There is no need for artificial respiration, after the seizure the baby will breathe normally again. Adults should not try to put anything in the baby’s mouth during a seizure because it could break teeth or injure the jaw. Do not put your hand or squeeze a lemon into the baby’s mouth.
Record the time of seizure onset, its duration, and accompanying symptoms and provide them to the doctor. Usually seizures stop on their own in less than 5 minutes and recover slowly. You need to closely monitor your baby until he or she is fully awake. If over 15 minutes the baby is still not fully awake or has difficulty breathing, call an ambulance. Other cases that require an emergency call include a seizure that lasts more than 5 minutes, or additional seizures that appear quickly after the first seizure, trauma, or seizures that occur underwater…
Be careful not to give your baby any drink until he or she is not fully awake. You need to have your child comply with the doctor’s treatment, have regular check-ups to control seizures and monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Limit staying up late, get enough sleep, avoid using the phone too much and don’t put pressure on your child to study. Treating infections, if present, helps avoid brain irritation that causes seizures.
Doctor advises on epilepsy. Image: Tam Anh General Clinic District 7
There are many causes of epilepsy such as complications of diseases that cause brain damage such as encephalitis, meningitis, cerebral angioma, cerebral aneurysm, stroke, and brain tumor. Pregnant women with infections, nutritional deficiencies, drinking alcohol, smoking, and abusing psychoactive substances can increase the risk of their children developing epilepsy.
Epilepsy can also occur due to genetic mutations or side effects of certain medications. People who regularly drink alcohol, smoke or are exposed to cigarette smoke, use drugs or other harmful stimulants are at high risk of getting this disease. Some other causes include autism spectrum syndrome, electrolyte disorders, Alzheimer’s disease… Some people have epilepsy with unknown causes. Patients should be examined and treated at a Neurology clinic, and should not arbitrarily use medication or apply unscientific measures.