Pay Attention If Your Child Has Seizures – Health News

Febrile seizures are a condition related to a child’s low resistance to fever, and there is usually an underlying family history. There is no specific treatment or follow-up for it, but when it recurs frequently and there are family reasons, it may be necessary to monitor with EEG or start medication.

Epilepsy is a disease that occurs in 1-5% of childhood. While the exact cause is not known, there could be many reasons related to genetic, metabolic, and developmental processes. The child’s brain may experience a number of abnormal electrical charges until the adult brain reaches their age, most of which are seen as epileptic seizures and may require treatment. It is not always feverish, but it can also cause a fever. 60-65 percent of epilepsy is curable. About 50-60 percent of them are benign childhood epilepsy. The remaining 20-25 percent group forms resistant epilepsy.

Non-drug treatments are attracting attention in drug-resistant epilepsy

25% of epilepsy patients are resistant to epilepsy drugs. Patients whose seizures persist despite two or more AEDs are referred to as drug-resistant epilepsy. In these patients, the benefit of an additional drug now varies between 1-5%. Therefore, non-drug treatments are recommended for these patients. These treatments depend on the suitability of the patient: epilepsy surgery, ketogenic diet therapy and epilepsy pacemaker therapy called vagal nerve stimulation. epilepsy surgery; It is the surgical removal of the focus that initiates the epileptic activity of the patient. It is successful in suitable patients. However, it is a procedure with postoperative complications.

The ketogenic diet used in refractory epilepsy patients is a medical treatment method.

ketogenic diet therapy; It is a purely medical treatment diet. In the drug-resistant epilepsy group; It is a type of diet practiced with menus adapted as high fat, low protein and carbohydrate ratio. The antiepileptic effect has been reported between 45% and 66%, and this percentage increases even more in appropriate patient groups. It is a form of treatment that is somewhat difficult to apply and has complications. It is very important that the family can monitor the patient’s compliance. In addition to its antiepileptic effect, it has been observed in most patient groups to slightly increase movement capacity and improve perceptual functions, the mechanism of which has not yet been understood.

Epilepsy pacemaker reduces seizures and in some patients can eliminate them completely.

Epilepsy pacemaker (vagal nerve stimulation) may be evaluated in patients with appropriate drug-resistant epilepsy, for example, in children who have taken two or more medications but whose seizures still persist. Depending on suitability, battery treatment in the form of a surgical procedure is applied. The battery logic is a treatment method in the form of stopping the patient’s long-term seizures and reducing the patient’s long-term seizures, like a drug, and ending them in some patients. There is a magnet on the wrist, it has an electrode on the neck. In children with prolonged seizures and long stays in intensive care, the seizure can be stopped by touching the magnet to the neck.

Do not intervene with the child who is having a seizure without learning it

During the seizure, those who have had epileptic seizures should be treated appropriately. The main thing is to control the airway. The child should be placed on a hard surface. It must be turned to the right or left. Because intraoral secretion and saliva are not allowed to escape back. Nothing should be put in his mouth and his tongue should not be tried to be pulled out. It should be followed in the lateral position, with the head slightly tilted back. If the seizure continues and persists for 2-3 minutes, 911 should be called and preparations made to go to the hospital. The child should never be submerged or have water poured on it. Unconscious approaches can exacerbate this picture in children. It is very important that parents are informed about this and stay in contact with their doctor.