Question
Are palpitations a symptom of epilepsy? I recently discovered that my 3-year-old child experiences abnormal palpitations before bedtime or during play. Initially, I thought it might be due to a chill, but this situation has been occurring frequently. So, I took the child to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said that this is a symptom of an epilepsy seizure. Are palpitations a symptom of epilepsy?
Answer
The symptoms of pediatric epilepsy commonly include grand mal seizures, absence seizures, and benign childhood epilepsy. During grand mal seizures, the child suddenly loses consciousness, their breathing stops, their face turns blue, their pupils dilate, their limbs become rigid, their hands clench into fists, and they then enter into a tonic-clonic seizure. They may froth at the mouth, and the seizure typically lasts for 1 to 5 minutes. During absence seizures, the child suddenly loses consciousness, stops their activity, gazes or rolls their eyes upwards without falling or twitching, and the episode lasts for 1 to 10 seconds before consciousness is quickly restored. Benign childhood epilepsy seizures often manifest as unilateral movements of the face, lips, or tongue, which may be accompanied by sensory abnormalities in that area. They may not be able to speak or may drool. Generally, they remain conscious during these seizures and they often occur at night.