My eight-year-old son has started to get periods when he seems totally unaware of his surroundings. Our family doctor has suggested it may be a mild form of epilepsy. But how can this be when he doesn't fall down or thrash about?
What your doctor may suspect is that your son is suffering from a form of epilepsy called petit mal or childhood absence.
This is a form of seizure that typically begins in children between the ages of five and 15 and that does not produce classical convulsions and other dramatic features of epilepsy.
Instead, the person experiences an absence during which they may stare blankly, blink rapidly or sometimes it may be noticed that their facial muscles twitch briefly.
During a petit mal the person is unaware of their surroundings but they do not fall down or collapse.
The episodes can last for two to 30 seconds during which time the person stops activities abruptly and resumes them just as quickly, often unaware that a seizure has occurred.
How can the doctors be sure that this is epilepsy?
A diagnosis of epilepsy is usually made on the individual's history and observations of eyewitnesses.
Because your son is unaware of what happens when he has a period of absence, your description of what occurs during the event is very important in confirming the doctor's suspicions.
To help make an accurate diagnosis, an electroencephalography (EEG) will be carried out.
Will this test hurt?
An EEG is a painless and safe procedure that records the electrical activity in the brain.
Approximately 20 small electrodes are placed on the scalp and the brain's activity is recorded under normal conditions.
The patient is then exposed to a series of stimuli such as flashing or bright lights which in some individuals will provoke a seizure.
During a seizure the electrical activity in the brain accelerates, producing a distinctive pattern. Different types of seizure produce different wave patterns.
How are these type of seizures treated?
If a cause for the seizures can be identified then it will be treated. However, some sufferers will require medication to control their seizures and great care will be taken when prescribing these, especially in a child.
Many anti-epileptic drugs cause drowsiness in adults but can cause hyperactivity and other side effects in younger patients.