Question
My daughter is 5 years old, and she is 2 and a half years old this year. Before the Spring Festival, she had a seizure due to a high fever of around 39 degrees, which was treated with antipyretics by the doctor. However, on the 9th day of the lunar New Year, she had another seizure, three times in one day. We went to our county hospital for intravenous fluids and she improved. The next day, we went to the provincial children’s hospital for a check-up. The EEG and brain CT were normal, but the doctor said there were symptoms of epilepsy and prescribed some epilepsy medication, saying to come back for a follow-up in one month. Two to three days before the seizure, the child didn’t eat or drink much and didn’t have a bowel movement either; she vomited twice (possibly due to the New Year’s diet), and had a slight fever of around 37 degrees. The antipyretic medicine didn’t bring it down significantly.
Answer
Currently, the treatment for epilepsy in China and abroad mainly focuses on medication. Approximately 70% of epilepsy patients can have their seizures controlled through regular antiepileptic drug treatment, with 50% to 60% of patients expected to be cured after 2 to 5 years of treatment, allowing them to live and work like normal people. Therefore, rational and regular antiepileptic drug treatment is crucial.