What are the symptoms and effects of, and can it be detected?

Patient's question:

No

Doctor's answer:

This condition is also known as West syndrome, a type of epilepsy unique to infancy. It typically manifests at an early age and exhibits a distinctive form of spasms. 90% of cases are accompanied by significant intellectual and motor developmental delays. Common causes include encephalitis, birth injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. It is more prevalent in males than females, with onset occurring from a few days after birth to 30 months of age, with the majority occurring between 3 and 9 months, peaking between 4 and 6 months.
The clinical manifestations of this condition primarily take three forms:
(1) Bowing spasms: Characterized by sudden, brief episodes of generalized muscle spasms, where the neck, torso, and legs bend inward or outward, and the arms extend forward and outward in a hugging motion.
(2) Nodding spasms: Involving repetitive nodding movements.
(3) Lightning-like spasms: Lasting for extremely short durations, making them difficult to detect unless attention is paid.
Infantile spasms have five distinctive features during episodes:
(1) Short individual episode duration: Each episode lasts 2 to 10 seconds.
(2) Forward flexion of the body, especially the head and upper torso.
(3) Frequent episodes: Multiple episodes may occur in a single day, with each episode potentially lasting multiple times or even dozens of times.
(4) Onset during drowsy states: Episodes often occur just as the infant falls asleep or wakes up, accompanied by loss of consciousness, sweating, facial cyanosis, and fatigue or.
(5) Variable EEG findings during episodes: Between episodes, EEG typically shows characteristic high-amplitude spike-and-wave discharges.
This condition usually ceases within 18 months of age. After cessation of episodes, some may evolve into other types of seizures. Over 90% of affected children experience delayed intellectual and motor development. Treatment is most effective with hormone therapy.