What are the symptoms of silent epilepsy in children? Learn about a group of the most prominent of them in this article.
There are many types of epileptic seizures that affect adults and children alike, including what is known as silent epilepsy, which is also known as absence seizures and petit mal seizures. In this article, we will learn about the symptoms of silent epilepsy in children:
Symptoms of silent epilepsy in children
This epilepsy is characterized by the fact that its seizures usually begin in children between the ages of 4-12 years, and may recur several times in one day, and its symptoms may include the following:
Continuous staring into space with no change in posture or body position, and in a few cases may cause a fall.
Change in the degree of awareness and perception.
Moving the mouth by opening and closing it quickly with making a sound or making chewing movements without having anything in the mouth.
Moving eyes with frequent and rapid blinking.
Fluttering and trembling of the eyelids.
Rubbing fingers together.
It is noteworthy that the symptoms of silent epilepsy in children last less than 3 minutes, and when it ends, the child does not remember its occurrence or what happened during it. In some cases, he may return to the activity he was practicing before it occurred, as if nothing had happened.
Symptoms of the post-ictal phase
Symptoms that may occur afterwards, i.e. in the post-attack stage that may last for several minutes or more, include the following:
Headache.
mental confusion
Fatigue and tiredness.
Effect of silent epilepsy in children
Although the symptoms of silent epilepsy in children do not appear to cause brain damage or damage, the fact that they lead to a cessation of consciousness for some time makes them negatively affect their focus and their ability to learn, especially if they are repeated in the child more than once a day.
In addition, seizures of silent epilepsy may expose the child to harm, as he is unaware of what is going on around him during them. Therefore, parents must ensure that their affected child does not engage in activities that may be dangerous for him if a seizure of silent epilepsy occurs during it, and warn him against practicing them in the event that they are not present.
It is noteworthy that even if the child is under treatment, the parents must accompany him and monitor him well when practicing certain activities, including swimming, bathing, and others.
Diagnosis of silent epilepsy in children
When suspected symptoms of silent epilepsy occur in children, a doctor should be consulted to conduct the necessary tests to verify the diagnosis in order to determine the appropriate treatment. Diagnosis usually begins with informing the doctor of what the child suffers from during an epileptic seizure.
In order to ensure that the doctor knows the symptoms accurately, it is advised to record the seizure in a video and show the doctor about it. Usually, a child’s condition is diagnosed as epilepsy if the seizure is repeated more than once and is not caused by another reason, such as high fever, injury or trauma.
This disease is usually diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist. Diagnostic methods used to diagnose epilepsy and determine the type a child suffers from include the following:
Blood and urine tests to check for infection or other disease.
Electroencephalogram (EEG) and Video electroencephalogram (VEEG) to measure brain wave activity.
Magnetic resonance images (MRI) and computerized tomography scan (CT) to obtain accurate detailed images of the brain.
Positron emission tomography (PET) with MRI to obtain a more accurate picture of the brain.
