Patient's question:
Hello, my son has nystagmus, unconscious shoulder tremors, and a slight head sway. He is now 7 years old. In April of this year, he had an episode where his body became stiff, he foamed at the mouth, and he lost consciousness. After examination, it was found that his brainwave frequency was too fast, and it was classified as a type of petit mal seizure. Do you have any medication that is suitable for his condition? Currently, he hasn't been given any medication, just some health supplements to boost his immune system.Doctor's answer:
According to the clinical types, it is divided into:1. Simple partial seizure:
A tonic-clonic seizure or sensory abnormality in a localized area or one limb, lasting briefly with clear consciousness. If the seizure spreads from the motor area to other limbs or the whole body, it may be accompanied by loss of consciousness, known as Jacksonian seizure (J). Postictal paralysis of the affected limb may occur, called Todd's paralysis.
2. Generalized tonic-clonic seizure (grand mal):
Sudden loss of consciousness, followed by tonic and then clonic spasms. Often accompanied by screaming, bluish complexion, incontinence, bitten tongue, foaming at the mouth, or blood foam, and dilated pupils. The spasms stop naturally after several seconds or minutes, followed by a state of drowsiness. Postictally, there may be short-term dizziness, irritability, fatigue, and amnesia for the event. If the seizure persists continuously, leading to continuous coma, it is called status epilepticus, which is often life-threatening.
3. Absence seizure (petit mal):
Sudden interruption of mental activity, loss of consciousness, which may be accompanied by myoclonus or automatisms. Each episode lasts from a few seconds to more than ten seconds. EEG shows 3 Hz spike-wave or sharp-slow wave complexes.
4. Complex partial seizure (psychomotor seizure):
Psychosensory, psychomotor, or mixed seizures. There is varying degrees of impaired consciousness and significant disturbances in thought, perception, emotion, and psychomotor activity. Automatisms such as psychomotor wandering or night wandering may occur. At times, under the influence of hallucinations or delusions, violent behavior such as harming others or self-harm may occur.
5. Autonomic seizure (mesial) in children with epilepsy symptoms:
May include headache type, abdominal pain type, limb pain type, syncope type, or cardiovascular seizures. Epilepsy with no clear cause is primary epilepsy, while epilepsy secondary to intracranial tumors, trauma, infection, parasitic diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, or systemic metabolic diseases is secondary epilepsy.
Patients with epilepsy must maintain a regular lifestyle with timely rest and sleep; avoid overexertion, cold exposure, and fever. It is not advisable to play video games to prevent photogenic epilepsy. Develop good dietary habits, avoiding strong tea, coffee, and stimulating beverages; smoking and alcohol consumption should be avoided. Avoid swimming in water, climbing heights, or contacting electrical appliances. Parents should be reminded not to set excessively high or strict academic expectations for their children to prevent excessive mental stress and fatigue.