Question
A child experiences symptoms of hand and foot convulsions during naptime, accompanied by pain and crying. The hospital diagnosis is epilepsy. What is the cause of epilepsy occurring during deep sleep in children?
Answer
Epilepsy is a disorder caused by abnormal discharge of neurons in the brain, which may lead to pathological EEGs. Some patients only exhibit such abnormal electrical activities during seizures. Sleep-related epilepsy, which occurs during deep sleep, may manifest as sudden loss of consciousness, temporary breathing cessation, frothing at the mouth, dilated pupils, and stiff and convulsive limbs. The seizures typically last for 1-5 minutes, after which the patient may be disoriented or have anorexia, and they may regain consciousness several hours later. After waking up, they may experience brief dizziness, irritability, and fatigue, with no memory of the seizure process. If the seizures continue without interruption and the patient remains in a coma-like state, it is known as status epilepticus, which can be life-threatening.