While absence seizures occur in the brain, they don’t cause brain damage. Absence seizures won’t have any effect on intelligence in most children. Some children may experience learning difficulties because of their lapses in consciousness. Others may think they’re daydreaming or not paying attention.
Are absence seizures life threatening?
Absence seizures are a type of epilepsy. They aren’t normally harmful, and most children grow out of them by puberty. But, you should talk to your child’s pediatrician because, untreated, they can affect your child’s life and learning.”
What happens if absence seizures go untreated?
If untreated, absence seizures have a significant impact on a child’s physical safety, education capacity and quality of life. The majority of typical absence seizures respond to treatment with anticonvulsant medication.
Can you live a normal life with absence seizures?
Most children who have typical absence seizures are otherwise normal. However, absence seizures can get in the way of learning and affect concentration at school. This is why prompt treatment is important. Absence seizures are a type of epilepsy, a condition that causes seizures.
What can trigger absence seizures?
Causes. Seizures result from overactivity in the brain. Absence seizures occur most often in people under age 20, usually in children ages 4 to 12. In some cases, the seizures are triggered by flashing lights or when the person breathes faster and more deeply than usual (hyperventilates).
Can absence seizures go away?
In about 7 out of 10 children with absence seizures, the seizures may go away by age 18. If this happens, medicines may not be needed as an adult. Children who start having absence seizures before age 9 are much more likely to outgrow them than children whose absence seizures start after age 10.
Are absence seizures a disability?
Dyscognitive Seizures and Absence Seizures
To meet the listing for this type of epilepsy, your child must have dyscognitive or absence seizures that occur at least once a weekfor three consecutive months, despite taking prescribed medication for three consecutive months.
Can I drive with absence seizures?
To drive, you must meet all normal driving requirements and must have been completely free of seizures for one year, with or without taking anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Different regulations may apply if your seizures do not affect your consciousness (see below).
Can stress trigger absence seizures?
Even in people without epilepsy, stress and anxiety can trigger PNES, which are also known as pseudoseizures. PNES are physiologically different from the neurological seizures found in epilepsy.
Can absence seizures turn into grand mal?
About a quarter of people who have absence seizures will develop another type of generalized seizure called tonic-clonic seizures (formerly called ”grand mal” seizures). The vast majority of children, however, will outgrow them.
What should you do after an absence seizure?
Absence seizures.
This kind of seizure will only last a few seconds, and the person experiencing it will typically not realize that they even had it. Absence seizures do not require any intervention. Just stay calm, and once the seizure is over, treat the person as you normally would.
What is happening in the brain during an absence seizure?
The brain’s nerve cells normally send electrical and chemical signals across the synapses that connect them. In people who have seizures, the brain’s usual electrical activity is altered. During an absence seizure, these electrical signals repeat themselves over and over in a three-second pattern.
Will absence seizures show up on EEG?
Absence seizures are characterized by behavioral arrest and EEG showing 3-Hertz spike-and-wave discharges. Episodes usually occur multiple times per day. Absence seizures are seen in several generalized epilepsies including childhood absence epilepsy, juvenile absence epilepsy, and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
References:
- https://www.geisinger.org/health-and-wellness/wellness-articles/2018/03/21/18/18/how-to-spot-absence-seizures-in-your-child
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3867171/
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/epilepsy/absence-seizures
- https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/diseases-conditions/absence-seizure
- https://www.epilepsy.com/what-is-epilepsy/seizure-types/absence-seizures
- https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-to-get-disability-benefits-child-with-epilepsy.html
- https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/living-epilepsy/driving-and-epilepsy/what-driving-regulations-mean-you
- https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/can-anxiety-cause-seizures
- https://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/guide/understanding-absence-seizure-basics
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319339
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/petit-mal-seizure/symptoms-causes/syc-20359683
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499867/