Our brain consists of about a billion neurons that communicate with each other through tiny electrical activity in the form of impulses to help us perform our daily activities. When one or many neurons send each other these ‘impulses’ at the same time or an abnormal amount of these impulses, it freezes the brain and results in people experiencing seizures.

In children, a number of factors such as an abnormally high fever, imbalanced blood sugar levels, a concussion or such can cause fits and seizures. If your child experiences more than one fit or seizure, a diagnosis may help in categorizing it as Epilepsy. Epilepsy is a disorder of the nervous system and it interrupts normal brain signals. Although it can be present in both children and adults, there can also be serious underlying causes such as a brain tumour for a fit to be occurring in children. It is important to diagnose a case of Epilepsy in children so that any harm to their mental growth can be prevented well in time.

Epileptic seizures can be categorized into two, depending on what part of the brain is affected and what takes place during a seizure. These categories are as follows:

1. Focal (Partial) Seizure

This type of seizure occurs with a few warning signs. You child may be experiencing a euphoric feeling, or an impending sense of doom and fear. They could complain of temporary hearing impairments, a partial loss of vision/blurriness or a loss of smell before or during the seizure. This type of seizure affects one of more areas of only one side of the brain and it can further be categorized based on the level of its complexity.

2. Generalized Seizure

This type of seizure affects both sides of the brain and is more severe than a Focal Seizure. There’s a high chance that the child might faint or black out completely. The child may or may not maintain posture depending on the severity with which the brain’s function has been disrupted.

                Most times the symptoms of a seizure are noticeable such as staring blankly or rapid blinking, jerking movements of the arms and legs, stiffening of the body, breathing problems, loss bladder control, lack of full consciousness, appearing confused or in a haze, nodding of head etc. It is important that you notice any of these systems and immediately be there in case the child falls or faints. When the seizure is over, the child must go through a diagnosis, which may include blood work, a neurological examination, MRI or CT Scan etc.

One your child’s medical examiner asserts which type of seizure your child is experiencing, they can prescribe the right medication or treatment to prevent and or control the occurrence of these seizures. No matter what, it is important to understand that in most cases fits and seizures are treatable by many forms of medicines but what one must do is stay calm and collected in such situations as the child needs all your support and attention.