Question
What strange symptoms might occur in children with epilepsy during seizures?
Answer
Firstly, about 70% of children with benign pediatric epilepsy have their seizures during sleep, with common symptoms including generalized tonic-clonic seizures, facial twitching, drooling, and wheezing, as well as partial seizures. A smaller number of patients have seizures when they are awake. Secondly, the characteristic features of benign pediatric epilepsy may include unilateral facial muscle spasms or twitching, drooling, and sometimes accompanied by abnormal sensory experiences, such as unusual sensations on one side of the face, gums, tongue, or lips. Occasionally, symptoms can spread to the face and upper limbs. During seizures, the child’s consciousness is present, but speech pauses. The duration of the seizure varies, and the frequency is inconsistent. Neurological examinations are normal, and intelligence is normal. The typical electroencephalogram (EEG) shows biphasic spikes or sharp waves of higher amplitude in the mid-temporal and central areas, followed by slow waves, then transitioning to single or clustered slow waves, with a normal background EEG.