Epilepsy syndromes
CAE (childhood absence epilepsy)
Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is a type of epilepsy that causes brief seizures in children. These seizures are also known as petit mal seizures.
Symptoms:
- Staring into space
- Blinking quickly
- Moving hands
- Lip smacking
- Chewing motion
- Finger rubbing
- Small movements of both hands
Prognosis:
- Most children outgrow CAE by their mid-teens or early adulthood
- Some children may continue to have seizures into adulthood
Dravet Syndrome
Dravet syndrome is a rare, genetic epileptic encephalopathy that gives rise to seizures that don't respond well to seizure medications. It begins in the first year of life in an otherwise healthy infant. Infants have normal development when seizures begin. Yet as seizures continue, most children develop some level of developmental disability. By later childhood, most children also develop a crouched walk.
Seizures generally start within the first year of life. The first seizure often happens with a fever and may be a tonic clonic seizures and these seizures are often long and can result in status epilepticus, these seizures typically recur every few weeks in infancy and early childhood. Other seizure types have been seen in children with Dravet syndrome aswell.
Progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy
Progressive myoclonic epilepsy is rare and frequently results from hereditary metabolic disorders, such as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and mitochondrial encephalopathy. In addition to seizures, symptoms may include unsteadiness, muscle rigidity, and intellectual disability.
Reflex epilepsy
In reflex epilepsy, seizures are triggered by specific environmental stimuli. If flashing lights trigger a seizure, for instance, this is called photosensitive epilepsy. Reflex epilepsy usually begins in childhood and is often outgrown by adulthood.
Environmental triggers may also include sounds. The ringing of church bells, a certain song or type of music, or the sound of a person’s voice may prompt seizures in adults with this type of epilepsy.
For some people, activities such as reading, writing, solving math problems, and even thinking about a certain subject can provoke a seizure. These nonvisual stimuli may trigger generalized or focal seizures.
Musicogenic epilepsy
Musicogenic epilepsy and musicogenic seizures: where by listening, playing, thinking or even dreaming of music it can induce or trigger a seizure or response. It can vary on the type of music such as: jazz, choral, classical, pop or particular instrument or even composer this can be due to frequencies that affect the brain. There can be a delay between musical stimulus and a seizure and the person can experience: distress, agitation, rapid heart beat, rapid breathing. Many cases of musicogenic epilepsy go undiagnosed and symptoms of seizures linked with musicogenic epilepsy go unnoticed due to the delay time of seizures and diagnoses of other forms of epilepsy.
Catamenial epilepsy
Changes in hormones that occur before, during and after a persons menstruation cycle aswell as the stress on the body of a period can cause an imbalance or reaction within the body which can trigger seizures for people with catamenial epilepsy. Keeping a diary of your seizures as well as your menstruation cycle can give an indication as to whether you may suffer with this type of epilepsy. Clobazam is usually the intial given anti-epileptic medication given to a person with catamenial epilepsy.
Periods
A persons menstrual cycle can be affected by alot of things, but when discussing epilepsy and the menstrual cycle it is important to note that anti-epileptic medication can have an affect on the flow pattern and regularity of an epileptics period. *please speak to your doctor if you feel this applies to you*
Premenstrual tension (PMT) affects alot of people and is accompanied with many symptoms: mood change, bloating, feeling anxious and stressed.
If your feeling anxious and stressed this could lead to more seizures and seizure activity in epileptics.