Epilepsy should be diagnosed as early as possible to give a child the best chance for treatment success and a normal childhood

Epilepsy in children have many causes. There is an important difference between something that causes seizures, such as a high fever in a young child, and something that causes epilepsy, such as a severe head injury.

Symptoms of epilepsy may be difficult to recognise in children, however: not all seizures involve obvious convulsions. Sometimes symptoms are far more subtle, and these "hidden signs" often appear to fall within the range of normal childhood behaviour. For example, some seizures resemble daydreaming; or a seizure that causes a toddler to stumble and fall may seem quite unremarkable. When these seemingly common behaviours occur unusually often or in patterns, they may mean that a child has epilepsy.

Epilepsy can also be difficult to diagnose in young children because they cannot clearly communicate their subjective experience.

Recognising "hidden signs" in children
Signs that may mean a young child is having seizures include the following:

·         Short spells of blank staring that look like daydreaming.

·         Sudden falls for no apparent reason.

·         Lack of response for brief periods.

·         Dazed behaviour.

·         Unusual sleepiness and irritability when wakened.

·         Repetitive nodding.

·         Rapid blinking.

·         Frequent complaints from the child about things looking, sounding, tasting, smelling or feeling "funny".

·         Clusters of "jackknife" movements in babies sitting down.

·         Clusters of grabbing movements with both arms in babies lying on their backs.

·         Sudden stomach pain followed by confusion and sleepiness.

·         Repeated movements that look out of place or unnatural.

·         Frequent stumbling or unusual clumsiness.

·         Sudden episodes of fear for no apparent reason.

Recognising "hidden signs" in adolescents

Sometimes seizures start in adolescence. These seizures may also be difficult to recognise, and are often misinterpreted as "going through a phase", psychological problems or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The following may be signs that a teenager is having seizures:

·         Blank staring, followed by chewing, picking at clothes, mumbling or random movements.

·         Sudden fear, anger or anxiety for no apparent reason.

·         Muscle jerks of the limbs or body, especially in the early morning.

·         Reporting sensory changes: things look, sound, smell or feel strange or different.

·         Memory gaps.

·         Dazed behaviour.

·         Being unable to talk or communicate normally for a short time.

Presence of the signs listed above does not necessarily mean your child has epilepsy, although these symptoms should be brought to a doctor's attention.

The importance of early diagnosis
Recognition of seizures is important for early diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. Children whose seizures go unnoticed may face problems such as:

·         Learning disabilities: brief blackouts (loss of consciousness) make it hard to follow the teacher's instructions and keep up with lessons in the classroom.

·         Safety risks. Sudden loss of awareness in certain situations, such as swimming, climbing or riding a bicycle, can result in serious injury.

·         Behaviour problems. The child may experience feelings that he or she cannot  communicate, and so becomes frustrated and "acts out".

Social problems. The child and people he or she comes into contact with do not understand the cause of the child's unusual behaviours. The child may withdraw socially or be excluded by other children.

Advanced Epilepsy Treatment Options Available at World Best Hospital inIndia

Till the time a person develops a second seizure, treatment for epilepsy will not begin. This is due to the reason that a person may have one seizure and never develops a second seizure. Medicines are successful in treating epilepsy. These medicines do not cure epilepsy, they prevent recurring of the seizures. These medicines changes the chemical or electrical transmissions in the brain in a particle way that decreases the chance of a seizure.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) :

VNS therapy is recommended when medicines are unable to control epilepsy. During the surgical procedure, an electrical device is implanted underneath the skin. The lead of this device is wrapped around one of the nerves on the neck’s left side. This nerve is called as vagus nerve. This device continuously passes an electric dose to the nerve in order to stimulate it. This process reduces the severity and frequency of the seizures. If a person is feeling a warning seizure symptom then extra stimulation is given for preventing recurrence of the seizure.

Ketogenic Diet :  This is also considered as one of the treatment for epilepsy. Ketogenic diet is recommended for children as it involves eating a diet which is low in proteins and carbohydrates and high in fats. The chemical balance of the brain can be altered that also reduces the chance of having seizures. Ketogenic diet is not meant for adults as the diet can result in any other serious medical condition like heart disease, high blood pressure or strokes.

Advanced Surgical Procedures for Management of Epilepsy

Depending on the particular clinical situation, one of the following surgical procedures is chosen by the Medical team at our affiliate hospital. These operations either aim to resect the disease area of the brain, to disconnect it from other areas so as to relieve the seizures, or to lessen their impact.

• Anteromedial Temporal Lobectomy
• Selective Amygdalohippocampectomy
• Electrocorticography guided Resections
• Multiple Subpial transections
• Quadrantic Resections
• Multilobar Resections
• Functional Hemispherotomy
• Vagal Nerve stimulation
• Radiosurgery (selected cases)