Absence Epilepsy (Petit Mal Seizures): Causes Symptoms risk and factors diagnosed & Treatments
March 15, 2022
What are absence seizures?
Friends, let us tell you that this epilepsy is a nervous system disorder that causes seizures Also these seizures are temporary changes in brain activity Friends, tell you that you doctor classifies different types of epileptic seizures on the basis of the seizures caused by them and along with this they treat them.
Note that an absence seizure, sometimes called a petit mal seizure, is brief, and usually lasts less than 20 seconds. Be aware that they produce symptoms that may be barely noticeable. People with these seizures may feel as if they are daydreaming and either passing out.
Read on to learn more about absence seizures, including specific symptoms, causes, as well as its treatments.
Absence seizure symptoms
Friends, let us tell you that absence seizures most commonly affect children between the ages of 4 to 12 years. They can also have this in adults. Absence seizures are shorter than tonic-clonic seizures and are accompanied by milder symptoms, also known as grand mal seizures.
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, an advocacy group, absence seizures usually last less than 10 to 20 seconds. Typical symptoms include:
- as he stares at you in space
- And with that he sniffs your lips together
- And also that fluttering eyelids
- stopped speeches in middle of the sentences.
- your sudden handshake
- your leaning forward and either back
- that sudden immobility of you.
Explain that they may mistake absence seizures in adult children as misbehavior or inattention. And with that said a child’s teacher is often the first to notice the symptoms of an absence seizure and with that the child will appear to be temporarily absent from their body.
Friends, they can often tell if a person is experiencing an absence seizure and that is because they become unaware of their surroundings, touch as well as sound. Absence seizures usually occur suddenly and without warning. This makes it important to take precautions only for the safety of the person having the seizure.
What causes an absence seizure?
Friends, let us tell you that your brain is a complex organ, and at the same time your body depends on it for many things. Friends, the nerve cells of your brain send electrical and chemical signals to each other to communicate. In addition, these seizures are the result of altered electrical activity in your brain.
Be aware that during an absence seizure, your brain’s electrical signals can repeat themselves. And with that, you may also have changes in the levels of neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers that help your brain cells communicate.
Friends, let us tell you that the specific cause of absence seizures is not known, but there is a presumed genetic component. And it is not well understood, but a 2016 research review found that certain ion channel coding gene mutations may contribute to it in certain families.
Risk factors for absence seizures
The risk factors for developing absence seizures include:
- Age: It should be noted that these absence seizures often occur only in children between the ages of 4 and 12 years. Based on a 2019 study, they peak around the age of 6 to 7.
- trigger: Friends, according to this 2021 review, that hyperventilation and either these lights can trigger an absence seizure in some people.
- gender: Friends, let us tell you that in a study of 2019, it was more frequent in girls than boys.
- family history: For example, 41.8 percent of children with juvenile absence epilepsy have a family history of epilepsy. Juvenile absence epilepsy is an epileptic syndrome characterized by absence seizures as well as generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
How does it feel to have an absence seizure?
Friends, everyone can experience seizures differently, but some of the ways that these people describe experiencing absence seizures include:
- Tell that it is dark circles around objects and he sees the pictures after that.
- just experiencing this feeling of swimming and either this brain fog
- consciously he felt his own mind that very empty
- being aware of what is happening, as well as being unable to act
- hearing buzzing sounds and also experiencing blurred vision
- and he experienced a period of peace
How are absence seizures diagnosed?
Friends, this is a neurologist, who has this expertise in the diagnosis of nervous system disorders, and he evaluates it:
- symptoms such as
- and that perfect health
- and that drugs
- and also those pre-existing conditions
- and that imaging and brain wave scan
Explain that they will try to rule out other causes of your symptoms before they diagnose absence seizures. And with that they may order an MRI of your brain and this scan captures detailed views of the vessels of the brain as well as the areas where there could be potential tumors.
Another way to diagnose this condition is to use bright, flickering lights and either hyperventilation to trigger the seizure. During this test, it is also an electroencephalography (EEG) machine that measures your brain waves to see if there are any changes in the functioning of the brain itself.
Difference between an absence seizure and a focal impaired awareness seizure?
Focal onset seizures, and that or that partial seizures, start on one side of your brain And with that said, the Epilepsy Foundation states that they are the most common type of seizures in adults. And with that, these seizures are known as focal impaired awareness seizures and that is when they cause that change in your level of awareness. And he misunderstood the focal impaired awareness seizures as well as the absence seizures.
It should be noted that these are some of the key features of focal impaired awareness seizures compared to absence seizures:
- as it is less than the daily frequency
- lasting longer than 30 to 45 seconds
- Confusion after a seizure, as well as making you feel sleepy
- And that aura before the tour and he or she has that very strange feeling to you.
How are absence seizures treated?
Tell friends that anti-seizure drugs can treat absence seizures And at the same time finding that right medicine involves trial and error and at the same time it can take time Your doctor may start with a low dose of anti-seizure medication. He or she may then adjust the dosage based on your results.
Let us tell you that these are some examples of drugs used for the treatment of seizure:
- such as ethosuximide (Zarontin)
- and that lamotrigine (Lamictal)
- and valproic acid (Depakene, Stavzor)
- Warning
It should be noted that pregnant people and those who are planning to become pregnant should not take valproic acid because it also increases the risk of fetal development problems.
Let me tell you that people who do not have seizures, and they may want to wear a medical identification bracelet. And tell that it helps others to know what to do in case of emergency And along with this, you would also like to tell your loved ones what to do only when they have a seizure.
What are the complications of absence seizures?
Let us tell you that absence seizures usually last less than 10 seconds and they can last but 20 seconds. And with this the person returns to his normal behavior after the seizure And with that said they usually won’t remember the last few moments and the seizure itself either.
It should be noted that while absence seizures occur in the brain, and at the same time they do not cause brain damage. Absence seizures will have no effect on intelligence in most children. And at the same time, some children may experience difficulty in learning due to loss of consciousness And at the same time, other people may think they are daydreaming and are either not paying attention.
Friends, let us tell you that in most cases, the only long-term effect of an absence seizure is when the person falls and is either injured. It is during this type of seizure that they are not typical. And at the same time, a person may experience absence seizures a dozen or more times per day without any negative effects.
Explain that other people are usually the first to notice an absence seizure because the person who is not aware that they are experiencing a seizure.
Let us tell you that these children with absence seizures often aggravate the situation And with this, however, absence seizures can continue And with this, some people have longer and more intense seizures.
What is the long term outlook?
Friends, tell that about 57 to 74 percent of children outgrow absence seizures by adolescence Also, taking anti-seizure medication can usually help control seizures and avoid social and or educational difficulties.
And with this, about 10 to 15 percent of children have absence seizures since childhood. And in addition, another 10 to 15 percent have frequent absence seizures with tonic-clonic or myoclonic seizures. And with that, about 5 to 15 percent of juveniles develop myoclonic epilepsy We do.
Be aware that some activities can be dangerous for people with absence seizures And friends, that’s because and that’s because the absence seizures cause a temporary loss of awareness And with this she could then have an absence seizure during a driving and swimming accident and either cause she to drown.
Friends, your doctor may restrict your activity until they are certain that your seizures are under control And they may also have laws in some states about that How long should a person go without a seizure before getting back on the road.
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