Question

What are the early symptoms of pediatric epilepsy?

Answer

Early symptoms in children may include:

  1. Loss of tone seizures, characterized by the child suddenly collapsing as a result of sudden disappearance of muscle tone.
  2. Absence seizures, where the child may suddenly lose consciousness or stop their activity, showing no response to calls, with eyes fixed forward. These symptoms can be confused with playful or inattentive behavior in young children with epilepsy.
  3. Sudden vomiting, indicating that the child suddenly feels like vomiting, which improves after a minute or two, then they continue with their unfinished activities. This situation can easily be confused with gastrointestinal diseases.
  4. Uncontrollable laughter, mainly manifested as sudden and unexplained giggling, stopping abruptly as if nothing has happened. This is one of the most common symptoms of pediatric epilepsy.