According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, pediatric epilepsy affects about 470,000 children and is the most common childhood brain disorder in the United States. Children with epilepsy have unprovoked seizures caused by a sudden change in electrical activity in the brain.

Seeing your child have a seizure can be scary as your child may shake, collapse or become unaware of their surroundings. Seizures can occur in children from infants through adolescents. If your child has a seizure, contacting your child’s physician is critical in diagnosing and treating epilepsy and minimizing long-term impacts, such as developmental delays.

Types of seizures

There are several types of seizures that occur in children. Whether or not the seizure causes long-term impacts depends on the type of seizure, how long seizures last, how frequently seizures occur and adhering to the treatment plan. The two main types of seizures are:

• Generalized seizures: Originate from whole brain
• Focal seizures: Originate from only one part of the brain

Within each of these categories are various seizure types. For a complete list of pediatric seizure types, visit the National Epilepsy Foundation website.

Infantile spasms are a form of epilepsy that occur in infants beginning at ages 2-12 months old. While rare and occurring in approximately 1,200 children annually in the United States, infantile spasms can cause long-term damage to the baby’s brain resulting in developmental delays, learning challenges and hard to control seizures, if not treated.

Signs of infantile spasms include:

• Body stiffening
• Back arching
• Jerking at the tummy, occurring every 3-5 seconds for 5-30 minutes
• Arm raising, occurring every 3-5 seconds for 5-30 minutes
• Wide-eyed blinks or eye rolling, occurring every 3-5 seconds for 5-30 minutes

Causes of pediatric epilepsy and how its diagnosed

Oftentimes, the cause of a child’s epilepsy cannot be determined. It can be caused by many different health problems such as:

• Brain injuries
• Genetic disorders
• Strokes or brain tumors

A child may have pediatric epilepsy if they have had:

• At least 2 seizures, at least 24 hours apart, without another clear cause
• At least 1 seizure and your child’s physician thinks they are likely to have another
• A seizure that was not caused by an injury or another health condition such as diabetes, a fever or an infection

If your child has a seizure, you will be referred to a pediatric neurologist whose goal is to learn more about your child’s seizures and determine what type of epilepsy they have. To understand and accurately diagnose your child, the pediatric neurologist will order additional testing, such as an electroencephalogram (EEG), which provides brain imaging and tests brain activity.

Treating pediatric epilepsy

In developing your child’s treatment plan, the goal is to minimize seizures and the short- and long-term impacts of them. Treatment may be required for the child’s lifetime or less, depending on the type of seizure and your child’s response to prescription medications to control them. In some cases, the child outgrows the seizures.

Your child’s care team will be led by the pediatric neurologist and may include other medical specialists, depending on how seizures are impacting your child and what other health conditions are occurring. Children with pediatric epilepsy are at higher risk for:

• Developmental disabilities (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD)
• Intellectual/learning disabilities
• Mental health concerns like depression and anxiety

If your child has had a seizure, schedule an appointment with a pediatric neurologist. DMG neurologists see patients at Valleywise Health clinics and comprehensive care centers. Call (833) 855-9973 to schedule an appointment. We are here for you.