Patient's question:
Symptom Description: Convulsions occur while sleeping after falling asleep, accompanied by bruxism symptoms! They disappear once awake. Past Treatment and Effect: It was once cured, and there were no symptoms afterward! Currently 4 years old, what help is desired: Want to ask if it could be epilepsy or roundworm disease! Thank you!Doctor's answer:
Hello, based on your description, in cases like this, it is not ruled out that epilepsy may be a possibility. It is recommended that further neurological examinations, such as a brain MRI, should be considered, as well as an electroencephalogram (EEG) to determine whether epilepsy is indeed present. Generally speaking, tapeworm infections may lead to bruxism (teeth grinding), so the use of deworming medications should also be considered.Blood zinc concentration tests in children with epilepsy have shown that almost all of them have significantly higher average zinc levels compared to normal individuals. In patients who have undergone long-term antiepileptic drug treatment, blood zinc levels have dropped noticeably compared to before treatment, with some even exhibiting certain zinc deficiency symptoms. This indicates that the occurrence of epilepsy is closely related to elevated zinc levels in the body, particularly in the brain.
Experts believe that antiepileptic drugs or their metabolites can effectively bind with zinc ions, reducing blood zinc levels in children with epilepsy and thereby controlling seizures. Therefore, in addition to medication treatment, children with epilepsy should minimize their intake of foods rich in zinc in daily life.