Dealing with a diagnosis of epilepsy: Common questions from parents

A diagnosis of epilepsy can seem overwhelming: You likely have a lot of questions about how seizures — and their treatment — will affect your child’s life and what that might mean for your family. That’s why education is crucial for helping ensure that you understand as much as possible about the condition. Events such as the Fifth Annual Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland are wonderful opportunities to learn from experts and from other families. Here, Dr. Arnold Sansevere of the Epilepsy Center at Boston Children’s Hospital answers five common questions from parents and kids. What causes seizures? A. Seizures result from abnormal electrical activity in the brain: Some parts of the brain get over-excited and fire off too many electrical signals. Common causes include an abnormality in brain development and underlying genetic causes, in addition to past infections or brain injury. In many cases, we don’t know the cause of a child’s seizures. When children go on to have multiple seizures, the disorder is referred to as epilepsy. Epilepsy can involve many different types of seizures: Some are easy to recognize, as when your child’s body shakes and they become temporarily less aware. Other seizures have subtle outward signs such as altered consciousness, staring and eyelid fluttering. Epilepsy sometimes can be associated with and put children at risk of behavior problems, ADD/ADHD, learning difficulties, depression and anxiety. Some doctors are starting to use...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Ask the Expert Diseases & Conditions Dr. Arnold Sansevere epilepsy epilepsy center seizures Source Type: news