Epilepsy, or seizure disorder, is actually a general term for a number of different conditions. A child is diagnosed with epilepsy if he or she has two or more unprovoked seizures -- that is, seizures that were not caused or provoked by an acute illness, fever, or immediate head injury.
A seizure is caused by a sudden electrical disturbance in the brain. Because the brain controls the body, this disturbance affects the body. Seizures look very different in different people, depending on the effects of a seizure and its location in the brain.
Seizures may be subtle or dramatic. A child with absence seizures (formerly known as petit mal) can simply look like he is daydreaming or “spacing out” for a couple of seconds. A child with simple partial seizures may hear a sound that isn’t there, or may twitch in just one arm. A child with tonic-clonic seizures (formerly known as grand mal) will fall to the floor and convulse. A child having a seizure may lose consciousness, or she may be aware of her surroundings and able to talk.
In addition, seizures have many different underlying causes. Seizures may be caused by an injury, a tumour, a scar, or a tangle of blood vessels in the brain. Often, though, and especially in children, seizures have no apparent physical cause -- the brain looks completely normal on an MRI or a CT scan.
Epilepsy is a complex condition. Some forms of epilepsy are easily treated and respond well to medication; others may respond to a special diet; others may require surgery. One child may respond well to a medication that doesn’t work at all for another child. Some children become seizure-free when they grow up; others will have to take medicine to prevent seizures all their lives. A lot depends on the type of seizures and the cause of the seizures. Because epilepsy is such a complex disorder, it can be very difficult and frustrating for children, parents, and doctors to figure out exactly what is going on and find the best treatment.
If your child has just started having seizures, you will probably be worried and have many questions. In this section, you’ll find answers to some of those questions, as well as general information about seizures and epilepsy. As you learn more about epilepsy, you may wish to return to this section for more in-depth information about the brain and the genetics of epilepsy.