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Benign childhood epilepsy, such as Rolandic epilepsy, is a condition where abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes seizures. It usually affects children between the ages of three and ten and is diagnosed after at least two seizures. Treatment is not always necessary, and the condition usually resolves before adulthood. Panayiotopoulos syndrome is another type of benign childhood epilepsy that affects the occipital area of the brain and can cause visual experiences during seizures.
Epilepsy is a disease of the brain in which abnormal bursts of electrical activity occur, causing so-called seizures or convulsions. Seizures can lead to a range of symptoms, from a brief change in consciousness to full-body twitching and twitching. Benign childhood epilepsy is diagnosed when a child has had at least two seizures, and the term benign is used because the outlook is generally good. Children usually grow out of the condition, so the effects of epilepsy don’t persist for life. The most common form of benign infantile epilepsy is known as Rolandic epilepsy.
In Rolandic epilepsy, so-called partial seizures occur because the abnormal electrical activity affects only one part of the brain. This disease is known as idiopathic epilepsy, which means that the cause is currently unknown. The onset of epilepsy and seizures can occur anytime after age three to ten. In addition to causing daytime seizures, the disease can cause nocturnal epilepsy, with seizures occurring while the child is sleeping and frequently during the morning waking process.
Typically, in Rolandic disease, an episode of partial epilepsy will begin in one side of the face, causing twitching and salivation. The child may not be able to speak normally, and the seizure may spread to the same side of the body to involve jerky arm or leg movements. Sometimes the child loses consciousness and the movements affect the body on both sides in a form of generalized epilepsy. This commonly occurs during sleep.
An electroencephalogram, or EEG, is often used to diagnose benign childhood epilepsy, as it can produce a picture of the affected area with unusual electrical activity. Usually, treatment is not given for benign infantile epilepsy until at least two seizures have occurred. Then the condition can be controlled with medication. Treatment can be stopped later, after a period of two years without seizures.
In some cases, no treatment is given. This could occur if benign infantile epilepsy causes seizures only while the baby is sleeping. Usually, the condition does not cause negative effects on children, mainly because they experience fewer potential risks than adults, who could suffer from the negative consequences of epilepsy and driving, for example. Academic performance is generally unaffected and in virtually all cases the condition resolves before adulthood.
Another type of benign childhood epilepsy, Panayiotopoulos syndrome, involves the occipital area of the brain that controls vision. Seizures usually occur at night and involve visual experiences such as seeing colors or lights. The child may experience headaches, vomiting and muscle twitching. Drugs are given only if the episodes become frequent. Typically, there are only a few seizures, and the condition can clear up within a couple of years.
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