Absence seizures

Also referred to as petit mal seizures, absence seizures occur as brief loses of consciousness where the patient loses feelings for several seconds. This condition is mostly common in children and is characterized by staring bouts. In this case, the person focuses on one object or spot for quite a while before jerking back to reality. Absence seizures are mild and this makes them seem less harmless as compared to other seizures. However, they should not be ignored as they have the potential of presenting children to dangers such as drowning if they happen to experience them in the pool or while taking a bath. It is important to ensure that children with these seizures are not left alone for long and they must not be allowed to drive or indulge in other similarly dangerous activities.

Absence seizures maybe treated with anti-seizure medications, which help control their occurrences. As children grow, they are bound to get over these seizures and this mostly happens, as they become teenagers. It is important to know the symptoms that characterize this disorder to be better placed in knowing the appropriate action to take. People with absence seizures will exhibit a habitual stare that lasts for several seconds without moving a bit. Others will lip smack unconsciously for many seconds before they get back to their normal selves. Fluttering of eyelids is another common symptom and many people will result to chewing. In other people, hand movements are prominent as well as small movements that are visible in both arms.

In most cases, people recover instantly from this brief spell but they cannot remember what transpired. The disturbing fact about these spasms is that they can occur severally through out the day and this may alter a persons productivity in their daily chores. The easiest way to tell that a child is suffering from absent seizures is a decline in their performance. These children are most of times restless and this is a cause for alarm. It is advisable to seek a doctors advice whenever such an abnormality is registered. There is no documented report on what causes absence seizures though they have been linked to genetics. Hyperventilation is another thing that has been put down as a trigger for the seizures. These seizures originate from defects in the brain that alter coordination due to an abnormal neuron.

This explains the absence of responses from the brain, which are either electronic or chemical based. The brain becomes unable to communicate with the body and this causes the seizures. Growing brains are prone to this kind of seizure and that is why they are most common with children between the ages of 4 and 14. By the time they reach 18, most of them have outgrown these seizures and regained normalcy. The complications that characterize absence seizures include learning difficulties as well as absence status epilepticus, which is a condition that results from prolonged seizures. Absence seizures are treated by neurologists who are well versed with treating disorders that attack the nervous system.