Epileptic seizure in sleep
Epileptic seizures can also occur during sleep. In general, these can be perceived as such by the persons affected or their partners, but especially if those affected sleep alone, the seizures can be difficult to diagnose. Typical warning signs are muscle soreness without explanation and a bite of the tongue.
These are usually accompanied by increased tiredness and drowsiness. In order to get to the bottom of the matter, an examination should be carried out in a qualified clinic in the sleep laboratory (polysomnography). For this purpose, the person concerned stays overnight in hospital. He or she is under constant observation, and heart currents (ECG) and brain currents (EEG) are monitored via electrodes. In most cases a diagnosis can be made in this way.
Epileptic seizure in a child
Epileptic seizures and convulsions in children and babies can have a variety of causes. In addition to spontaneous seizures without a recognizable cause and usually without recurrence or disease value, febrile seizures are the most common form of seizures in children. Febrile convulsions typically occur in children between the ages of six months and five years.
If febrile convulsions occur outside of this time window, it is referred to as a complicated febrile convulsion and a detailed diagnosis should definitely follow (for example in a children’s hospital). Febrile convulsions occur when the fever is high or when the fever rises or falls rapidly. Approximately three to four percent of all children suffer from febrile convulsions during their lifetime.
A pediatrician should always be consulted afterwards. However, a febrile convulsion is not an epileptic seizure and does not normally damage the child’s brain. It is due to the immaturity of the brain, which is not yet fully developed and does not react properly to the fever.
Nevertheless, if a febrile seizure occurs for the first time, a pediatrician or hospital should be consulted as soon as possible. Other childhood epileptic seizures can occur as a symptom of certain epileptic diseases. Most of these diseases have a good prognosis if treated correctly.
In rare cases, a seizure can also be a symptom of a brain tumor. Although rare, these symptoms occur more frequently in children than in adults. In any case, every seizure should be followed by a diagnosis by a pediatric neurologist, as is the case in most pediatric clinics.
- Febrile convulsion
- Epilepsy in a child