People with epilepsy have repeated seizures. A seizure is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
Although watching someone have a seizure can be scary, most seizures only last a few seconds to a few minutes. Many children with epilepsy will outgrow seizures.
There are different kinds of epilepsy, including:
The kind of epilepsy that somone has depends on the seizure type. A seizure can be:
Often, kids with epilepsy have both generalized seizures and focal seizures.
Epilepsy can be caused by infections, genetic mutations, brain injury or a tumor, abnormal blood vessels, or bleeding in the brain.
Kids with Down syndrome, autism, and some metabolic disorders also may have epilepsy. Some types of epilepsy run in families.
More than half of epilepsy cases are idiopathic, meaning there's no clear cause, but this is changing as more genetic mutations are found.
Epilepsy in children is diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist (a doctor who specializes in brain, spine, and nervous system problems). Testing may include:
Epilepsy is usually treated with medicines. If medicines don't control the seizures, sometimes a special diet, such as a ketogenic diet, is tried. A ketogenic (or keto) diet is a strict high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet and can sometimes reduce seizures.
For hard to control seizures, doctors may recommend vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), which is a device that stimulates the vagal nerve, or surgery.
Most kids with epilepsy can lead a normal life. To help your child live better with epilepsy, be sure he or she:
It's important to keep your child safe during a seizure. So make sure that other adults and caregivers (family members, babysitters, teachers, coaches, etc.) know what to do.
Reviewed by: Harry T. Chugani, MD
Date Reviewed: 05-08-2017
