Convulsions are one of the most common neurological disorders in children. These are events that create very fright and concern, yet they are often benign and easily manageable manifestations after adequate information.
The convulsions They are one of the most common neurological disorders in children. They are the result of an anomalous electric activity of the brain that can cause various symptoms, as a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. These can be frightening for parents, but they do not always indicate a serious condition.
Our brain is made up of billions of cells, called neuronswhich communicate with each other and exchange information through electrical impulses. If for some reason communications suddenly become chaotic and disordered, the result is a loss of body control and its normal behaviors, such as a blackout.
The “epileptic crisis“It is a set of neurological symptoms due to an anomalous and excessive electric activity that interrupts the functioning of the brain. Epileptic crises can involve all brain cells (generalized crisis) or just some portions (focal crisis).
These are events that create very fright and concern, but it is important to know that many of the episodes of convulsions in children, especially the “feverish convulsions”, They are benign and easily manageable events after adequate information. This article will offer an overview, explaining When to worry about convulsionshow to recognize them and how to manage them.
How do you recognize convulsions
The convulsions or convulsive crisisI am one of the manifestations of epileptic crises. Are characterized by involuntary, violent and chaotic muscle contractions of some muscle groups (in the case of partial crises) or the whole body (generalized crises).
THE Symptoms of convulsions in children They can be many and it can be difficult to understand if a “strange” movement made by a child is really one epileptic crisis or a Non -epileptic event. In fact, some studies have shown that about a quarter of children with a “first convulsive episode” did not really have an epileptic event.
In infants and small children, many movements, chills, tremors or others can be observed manifestations that resemble epileptic crises But that they are often normal for age.
It is therefore important to know the Characteristics of convulsions in childrenin order to recognize and know how to describe a crisis to the health personnel who will come to our rescue. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Loss of consciousness: The child does not respond to external stimuli;
- sudden fall;
- muscle rigidity: Generalized contraction of the muscles. They are convulsions tonic;
- involuntary and rhythmic movements of the arms and legs: repetitive muscle contractions, called clonic shocks;
- Fixed look or eyes that move in one direction: The child may seem absent or have fixed eyes in one point;
- abundant salivation;
- urinary incontinence;
- cyanosis (blue skin coloring, often evident on the lips): due to the temporary lack of oxygen;
- phase Critical post: A more or less long phase after the convulsive crisis, characterized by confusion, tiredness, headache and other momentary neurological symptoms.
The convulsions in children they can manifest themselves with a combination of all the symptoms listed, classically with some tonic-clonic crisis: loss of consciousness, a phase of tonic contraction of the muscles and a phase of clonic and repetitive shocks. Almost always, at the end of a convulsive crisis, a post -critical phase is accompanied, with confusion and sleepiness.
Why do convulsions come to children?
Very often it is not possible to understand because the child has convulsions. In fact, it happens that an episode can occur in a sporadic or random way, without repeating more in the course of life. Even if various exams and in -depth investigations are available, the cause remains unknown frequently. In general, they can also be caused by all the conditions that alter the normal communications between brain cells, such as:
- sugar deficit (hypoglycaemia);
- intoxications from various substances (e.g. drugs, drugs etc.);
- brain damage due to diseases, infections or injuries (including those acquired at birth);
- Genetic syndromes.
Among the possible Reasons for convulsions in children, the most frequent is fever. The feverish convulsions They are very common in pediatric age, they affect children perfectly healthy usually between 6 months and 5 years of age.
Even if the event seems dramatic, it is important to underline for greater tranquility than:
- Most feverish convulsions They are benign episodes;
- they occur in conjunction with the fever, but they are not caused by a brain infection;
- do not cause permanent neurological damage;
- The risk of epilepsy do not significantly increase in the future;
- It is not necessary to fight the fever aggressively Thinking of avoiding convulsions (they could appear with the same probability with low fever as with very high temperatures).
In other words, they are benign, unpredictable events and for which it is not possible to adopt preventive strategies. For this reason, according to the recommendations of National Institute for Health and Care Excellencei antipyretic drugs do not prevent feverish convulsions and should not be used only for this purpose, But with the aim of reducing the symptoms of malaise related to fever.
What to do if the child has convulsions
Attending an epileptic crisis is an experience that puts a strain on the lucidity of anyone. They are often a few moments but they may seem to be an eternity. To maintain calm in those moments it is very important to know what are the correct attitudes to be taken and knowing What to do in case of convulsions:
- call aloud and try to understand what is going on. In the absence of nearby people Call the emergency number and put in their hands;
- look at the clock to understand the Duration of the event: Precisely estimating the duration is essential;
- Place the child on the ground and on one side: so that if it vomits or produces excess saliva, it does not suffocate;
- Remove dangerous objects: Moving hard or sharp objects away from the child, loosen close clothes if possible (shirt, belt);
- observe The characteristics of the phenomenon: Are the shocks symmetrical? Is the head deviated on the one hand? How do the eyes behave?
- stay close to the child until the end of the crisis (generally spontaneous).
If the crisis is protracted it is possible administer drugs that block convulsions (e.g. diazepam Endorettale). These are tools that are delivered to families with children who have presented crises, after an accurate explanation of the methods and times of use.
How important it is to know how to intervene, it is equally important to know What not to do in case of convulsions. In fact, some of our interventions may be useless or even dangerous for the child. For example:
- Don’t think you can manage everything alone: In emergencies it is always essential to call help;
- The child’s language should not be pulled out: The mouth and teeth are closed or can be closed suddenly, you risk causing dangerous wounds and bleeding;
- do not insert anything in the mouth or force the opening: Putting objects in the mouth can cause teeth or oral cavity damage;
- do not try to hold back the convulsive movements: Let the convulsion take its course, just trying to protect the child from any injuries.
After a crisis, it is important to perform an in -depth pediatric evaluation and advice with the child neuropsychiatrist. Based on the characteristics of the event, some investigations can be carried out to determine the cause of the convulsions, including:
- Blood exams: to exclude infections or metabolic anomalies;
- electroencephalogram (EEG): to evaluate the electrical activity of the brain;
- magnetic resonance imaging (RM) or computerized tomography (CT): To identify any structural anomalies in the brain.
In febrile convulsions, if the episode took place in a child with fevercompatible and with a generalized crisis lasting a few minutes, the investigations will not be needed for routine, but only in selected cases.
The forms that instead They always deserve a more careful evaluation And that need to further information are:
- complex feverish convulsionsthat is, different from those that normally occur (duration> 15 minutes, more episodes in the 24h, shocks that do not involve the whole body but only a muscle district);
- convulsions not associated with fever;
- More episodes of convulsions without fever, so we can talk about epilepsy.
When we witness an event that may seem like a convulsive crisis, it is very difficult to describe its characteristics when the event has ended. It is therefore useful to film all the “strange” movements that can be observed in children, in order to have a video to be shown to specialists. This can help them determine if they are real convulsions or normal and not worrying movements.
Convulsions in pediatric age, in particular feverish convulsions, are a common event that can cause a big fright in parents. However, most of these manifestations are benign and do not lead to long -term health problems. Understand the symptoms, know How to intervene in case of convulsions And consulting the pediatrician for a correct diagnosis are fundamental steps to effectively manage this condition.
With the right information and support, parents can face these situations with greater serenity and security.
