electric children
JULY, 2018 | The HEALTH
CREDIT: CENTRE FOR STRATEGIC PHILANTHROPY
Understanding
focal onset
seizures
Focal Seizure
Is placing metal between teeth
the answer?
T
ENDENCY to have recurrent seizures are
linked to epilepsy. However, seizures are a
sudden uncontrolled electrical disturbance
in the brain, a type of seizure called focal
onset seizure which is a result of abnormal
activity in one area of the brain.
Pantai Hospital Ampang Resident Consultant Paedia-
trician Dr Foo Chee Hoe explained that partial seizures,
as compared to a general seizure results in jerking of the
body and eye balls rolling backwards.
“People with focal onset seizures are usually aware
of what’s going on, for instance their hands could be
jerking. This is a simple partial seizure.”
“Another form of focal onset seizure is called a
complex partial seizure, where awareness of what’s
happening around you is affected during the seizure.
Both these forms of partial seizure can spread to the
brain and become generalised seizure,” he said.
Instances where children complain of seeing rain-
bow colours should
be a sign that parents
ought to take them seri-
ously and see a general
paediatrician. Foo says
these situations should
not be dismissed,
which is often the case
among Asian parents.
Children
may
also experience
auditory and smell
hallucinations.
“Those experienc-
ing focal seizures will
still be able to breathe,
however in instances of
danger, priority should
be given to make sure
their breathing is not
compromised and their
airway isn’t blocked,”
he further explained.
“If the patient were
to experience loss of
consciousness, the
patient should be
turned sideways to
avoid them from choking on vomit or saliva. Doctors
do not recommend traditional methods of placing
anything metal between teeth during seizure as there
are no evidence that these help to stop seizures.”
Foo also encouraged parents to take videos if their
children were to experience partial seizures as these
seizures are temporary and it would be easier for the
doctors to diagnose the situation.
“Those
experiencing
focal seizures
will still be
able to breathe,
however in
instances of
danger, priority
should be
given to make
sure their
breathing is not
compromised
and their
airway isn’t
blocked.”
Zinc to boost
your child’s
appetite
Do you liken meal times as a battle field, strug-
gling to feed or have your child finish his meal?
Perhaps you would want to try zinc which
helps in building appetite.
Try incorporating wheat bran, cashew nuts
and pumpkin seeds into your child’s meals or
snacks for improving the level of zinc in the body
as well.
Generalized Seizure
Side view of the brain with the red bull’s eye indicating the source of seizure. A focal (partial) seizure can
be pinpointed to one location vs. a generalized seizure, which cannot be localized to one specific location.
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