In today’s entry we will talk about the absence crisis, its causes, symptoms and the best treatment for each case. Let’s remember that this is a neurological disorder of children that, although worrying, can be treatable.
Remember that epilepsy is a neurological disease characterized by the presence of seizures mystroud.com/vigfx-canada/. The seizures that are most present in our minds when we talk about epilepsy are those that present violent contractions of the muscles and loss of consciousness.
But reality tells us that these are not the only type of seizures we usually suffer. Absence seizures are much more discreet and, in the physical aspect, are more harmless. Despite this, absence crises must also be treated.
A key point to keep in mind is that all absence seizures are the same. Since they are fleeting, they are often unidentified and it takes parents of children who have them long to realize that their child has epilepsy.
Below we will look at how absence seizures manifest themselves and what can be done with the people who have them.
Symptoms of absence seizures
This type of crisis occurs, almost mostly, in children. They are characterized by the appearance of brief periods, normally of about 15 seconds, where the individual who suffers them seems completely distracted and with a lost look. As if he were absorbed in another reality. Among the most common symptoms we can mention:
- Rapid blinking
- Continuous snapping of the lips
- Chewing movements
- Sudden stop of motor activity
- Small movements in both hands
Usually the crises begin abruptly, the patient stops what he is doing or saying and suffers the crisis by maintaining the same posture and at the end of the crisis continues to do the activity he was doing. The person will have no memory of the episode and will be surprised if another person tells them they went blank for a few seconds.
Children who suffer from this type of crisis seem to be distracted, many parents may become confused and believe that what is happening is that they were absorbed or mentally distracted in something. The first ones who usually notice absence crises are the teachers or professors, although they may also get confused and talk to their parents about the child not being attentive in class. When these behaviors occur frequently it is possible that it is an absence crisis and not a distraction.
Keep in mind that not all crises are the same or occur in the same way. While most start and end abruptly and quickly, in very few cases the seizures are atypical and start slowly and last longer. During the crisis the person may fall losing muscle tone, so after the crisis will feel confused.
It is important that parents know that the brain does not suffer any damage after having an absence crisis, the only consequences are the interferences experienced in the learning context, where in these periods of consciousness the acquisition of knowledge is difficult. Within the treatment options, many doctors decide to give a medical treatment that will be withdrawn in a scheduled manner when there has been no crisis for two years in a row.