Treating a child who is having an epileptic seizure can be daunting, however it is important to remain calm and deliver the best treatment possible. Laura Hollis, mother of a child recently diagnosed with epilepsy, has written this piece to share her experience and knowledge with us:
Epilepsy is a neurological syndrome characterised by excessive or otherwise abnormal brain activity that causes seizures. Worldwide, around 50 million people have epilepsy, and many of them are children. In fact, the two most common times to develop epilepsy are later adulthood and childhood.
There are lots of different health conditions that can cause epilepsy in children, including:
However, for most cases of epilepsy, seizures have no apparent cause.
Epilepsy isn't a curable condition, but over half of children with epilepsy grow out of the condition as they grow up - this is called spontaneous remission. And although some types of epilepsy-causing conditions are treatable with medications, diet alterations or surgery, there is no guarantee that these treatments will prevent all kinds of seizures.
How often a child has a seizure can vary widely depending on the type of epilepsy they have, the severity of the condition, and whether they have known seizure triggers that can be avoided. Many epilepsy sufferers don't have specific seizure triggers, making it impossible to predict when seizures will happen. There are several common triggers to look out for though:
Seeing a child have a seizure can be very distressing, especially during the first few times it occurs, but it's important to stay calm so you can help the child in the best way possible:
We would like to thank Laura for sharing her knowledge on epilepsy and her advice for treating seizures. For more information on epilepsy in children, check out her guide here.
Want to be more confident in a situation with an epileptic seizure? Book your first aid training course today!