Why does a child have seizures. Convulsions in a child. Causes. Symptoms. What to do? Other causes of seizures

Insufficient maturity of the brain and the entire nervous system, a low threshold of excitability - this is the background against which a convulsive attack occurs in children. Convulsions in a child in the first years of life are a reaction to brain pathologies, high fever, and toxins. The first thing adults do is call an ambulance. Is it possible to help a small patient with something before the doctor arrives?

Involuntary muscle contractions are noticeable by unusual shuddering of the limbs or the whole body. Changes that occur in a limited part of the brain are manifested by an increase in its electrical activity. Muscle fibers respond to signals from the "control panel" with tingling and contractions that are felt in the arms and legs. If the electrical imbalance of excitation and inhibition continues to spread, then convulsions occur throughout the body, in more severe cases, the person loses consciousness.

The causes of seizures in a child are most often associated with high body temperature (> 38 ° C). It is possible to develop an attack during a cold, SARS, especially in weakened, often ill children. An important role is played by heredity and metabolic rate.

Causes of non-epileptic seizures:

• birth trauma, asphyxia, hemolytic disease in a newborn;
• cardiovascular disorders (congenital defect and others);
• pathology of the development of the brain, the entire nervous system;
• infectious diseases in the acute period;
• vaccination, prophylactic vaccination;
• metabolic changes;
• hydro- and microcephaly;
• blood diseases;
• brain tumors;
• intoxication.

Unusual electrical activity in the parts of the brain occurs when there is a deficiency of vitamin B6 in the body.

Convulsions in a child are not necessarily associated with a high body temperature. The nervous system of children is not very resistant to various influences, therefore, in response to strong stimuli, the balance of excitation and inhibition processes is disturbed. Changes in metabolism, in particular calcium and phosphorus, also cause seizures. So, with a decrease in the level of calcium in infants of 6–12 months, a convulsive illness occurs - spasmophilia.

Types of seizures in children

Tonic convulsions lead to tension of the entire body, stretching it into a "string". Then there are muscle twitches as a result of contractions, shuddering of the arms and legs. Gradually, the baby's body returns to normal. Atonic convulsions are manifested by muscle relaxation, then urination and defecation involuntarily occur.

Clonic convulsions are distinguished by the involvement of different parts of the muscular system in the process. During an attack, flexion, stretching and shuddering of the limbs are observed. Myoclonic convulsions develop as short muscle contractions following each other. Tonic-clonic are characterized by the presence of two phases, during which there is a twitching of the arms and legs, the baby's head throws back, the torso is extended. Generalized seizures are tonic seizures that involve the entire body. Breathing is disturbed, the skin turns blue.

Convulsions in asphyxia of newborns occur due to circulatory disorders leading to cerebral edema. Hemorrhages during birth injuries lead to the appearance of convulsions of the face or limbs. At the same time, the baby's temperature rises, regurgitation and vomiting begin.

Convulsions provoked by birth trauma may not appear immediately after birth, but with infectious diseases, after vaccination, physical exertion during feeding in children under one year old.

Convulsive phenomena are often observed in premature babies, as well as in micro- and hydrocephalus, insufficient brain development, and intracranial pressure. Hemolytic disease in a newborn provokes tonic convulsions. The loud and piercing cry of the baby will help to recognize this condition in time.

The predominance of excitation over inhibition in the nervous system during fear, anger, aggression and other strong emotions in young children explains why respiratory-affective convulsions occur. Children prone to hysteria are more susceptible to them. Before an attack, they become more agitated, screaming or crying louder, but suddenly begin to gasp for air. Breathing becomes intermittent, tension arises in the body, the skin turns blue.

What to do with a fever in children

Febrile convulsions develop at a high temperature or its sharp increase in a short period of time. Most often, this kind of convulsive condition occurs in babies of the second year of life. Exposure to toxins released by infectious agents is one of the main causes of this form of seizures in babies. Confirmation is the fact that seizures occur in viral diseases precisely in the midst of rashes.

The risk of convulsions in febrile conditions remains high between the ages of 6 months and 6 years.

What do children who have become a victim of febrile seizures look like (symptoms):

1. become lethargic, the face turns pale, breathing quickens or slows down;
2. the body is stretched, legs and arms are tense;
3. limbs and torso shake from uncontrolled movements;
4. lips turn blue, saliva, foam appear;
5. do not respond to stimuli for some time after the attack;
6. can sleep soundly.

What to do with seizures in a child:

• carefully turn on its side, avoid sudden movements;
• do not stir up and do not tolerate without special need, so as not to induce vomiting;
• clean the mouth and nose, as excessive salivation, foam, vomit can block the airways;
• make sure that there are no dangerous objects around, and the child will not get hurt;
• reduce fever by rubbing the body with warm water, introduce suppositories with paracetamol;
• if the convulsions last more than 10 minutes, it is recommended to call an ambulance.

The special sensitivity of the baby's nervous system to elevated temperature does not entail serious health consequences. In the vast majority of cases, the resulting disorder spontaneously disappears after 5 years without consequences for the mental and physical development of children.

Decreased body temperature during febrile seizures

Speaking about what to do if a child has seizures, one cannot ignore the elimination of the causes of their appearance. For a febrile seizure, this is a high temperature. Many antipyretic drugs are available over the counter from pharmacies, but not all are safe for children. Paracetamol differs from other drugs in the optimal ratio of effect and toxicity (according to the WHO).

The children's form - syrup - acts in 20-30 minutes, the effect lasts for 4 hours.

Children's forms of paracetamol - tablets, syrups, suppositories, granules. The names of the drugs are "Panadol", "Efferalgan". It is possible to add them to milk mixtures, water, milk, juice.

When babies have nausea, vomiting, paracetamol is administered in suppositories. This helps if a one-year-old has a fever at night and shows symptoms of a febrile seizure. The action of suppositories begins after 3 hours, they are administered 2 or 3 hours after the solution was given.

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen is used to treat children after 12 months. Preparations based on it combine antipyretic and anti-inflammatory action. The main disadvantages of ibuprofen are the risk of complications and hypothermia in children (temperature drops below 35 ° C). Also, when a child has a fever, analgin is used, but only intramuscularly. To increase body heat transfer and prevent febrile convulsions in babies aged 4 months and older, wiping with wet wipes on the wrists and forearms (where the vessels pass) is used.

Subfebrile convulsions

Prolonged seizures that occur without fever in children older than 5 years are characteristic of neurological disorders. According to statistics, in about 2% of babies, seizures become harbingers of epilepsy. In these cases, the risk of chaotic electrical activity of the brain remains. Just before an epileptic seizure, the child opens or rolls his eyes wide, his body tenses up. If he does not fall, is conscious, then he does not need emergency medical care.

In any case, adults need to remain calm and provide first aid for convulsions in children. An unconscious child is laid on its side, choosing a safe, flat surface for this, such as a clean floor. Move away objects that can be dangerous during a seizure (glass vases, furniture with sharp corners). An infant is supported by the torso, arms.

Children should not be shaken or subjected to other sudden movements. Care should be taken that the jaws of babies do not clench with force.

Epilepsy can be defined in a child older than 5 years if the seizures last more than 15 minutes, often recur (compared to febrile convulsions). If there are doubtful, uncharacteristic signs, the neurologist will prescribe a lumbar puncture, electroencephalography (EEG). Additional examinations will help to identify epilepsy, or signs of neuroinfections (meningitis, encephalitis).

Seizures in children do not necessarily lead to epilepsy

The forms of manifestation of various seizures depend on the strength of the stimulus and its effect on the nervous system of young patients. Usually, all types of convulsions in children last less than 10 minutes, during which time there is muscle tension, shuddering and twitching of the limbs, the whole body can stretch out in a “string”. But how to understand that the attack ends? Gradually, the symptoms fade away, the skin acquires a normal color, the baby quickly recovers.

Most babies who have one or two short seizures in their first four years of life get rid of the problem later on without medication. Nevertheless, after an episode of seizures, the child should be shown to a pediatric neurologist. It is also recommended to discuss with the pediatrician ways to reduce fever in various infectious and inflammatory processes. For preventive purposes, you can take a course of vitamin therapy and massage.

The risk of developing epilepsy is higher in complex cases, when the child's convulsions last more than 15 minutes, repeat several times within one day. There may be contractions of the arms and legs on only one side of the body, while the head turns to the side. When the baby comes to his senses, he still feels weak for a long time, it will take him several hours to recover.

More than anything, parents worry about their children - if the baby has convulsions, it causes them to panic. Febrile seizures look terrible, but they do not pose a particular danger, but almost imperceptible seizures are harbingers of serious illness. Why do convulsions occur, how dangerous are they, what symptoms do they manifest and how to help without harming the baby?

What are seizures?

Convulsions in a child - involuntary movements of the body, limbs, head, accompanied by respiratory failure, rolling eyes, changes in heart rate, disorders of consciousness, up to its loss. They arise due to overexcitation of the central nervous system of children, excessive activity of brain cells and are expressed in the fact that neurons send impulses to perform involuntary movements.

Convulsions in newborns are quite common, occurring at a frequency of 10 cases for every 1000 babies. They can appear both in a dream and during wakefulness. If you do not provide timely assistance to a small child, serious consequences are possible.

Recognizing seizures in children is not easy. Usually they shoot a video and show it to the doctor, but this does not apply to severe attacks, which cannot be identified. A standard generalized seizure in an infant (for example, with a sudden increase in temperature) usually has the following manifestations:

• tonic phase: sudden onset with motor excitation and various disturbances of consciousness, rolling or incomprehensible movements of the eyeballs, tilting the head back, the body is stretched, the baby stops breathing, the skin turns pale or becomes cyanotic, bradycardia occurs;
• clonic moments: breathing and facial expressions appear, convulsive movements of the trunk and limbs, vomiting is possible, as well as involuntary urination and emptying of the intestine;
• ending: consciousness is gradually restored, everything returns to normal.

Why does muscle contraction?

With seizures in children, there is an effect on the brain, the neurons of which send signals about movement, which leads to muscle contraction.

Depending on the type of convulsions, muscle tissue may freeze for a while in tension or it alternates with weakening, which causes convulsive movements. If it reduces muscles without a seizure due to spasm, the reason is the local effect on the muscle area of ​​​​an irritating factor (hypothermia, squeezing).

Causes of seizures in children

Seizures can occur both immediately after the birth of a child, and in an older baby. Reasons for these seizures:

How to distinguish cramps from spasms?

Spasms are involuntary tonic contractions of striated or smooth muscles. In young children, there are no clear signs by which spasms can be distinguished from various variants of tonic convulsions. In fact, these concepts are so confused that they are often used as synonyms, but they are not. Understanding what exactly the problem is with the baby is difficult, but possible. Here are the main differences:

Types of seizures

Seizures are:

1. Localized and generalized (focal and partial). The former affect a specific muscle or group of them, the latter cover the entire body of the child.
2. Clonic, tonic and tonic-clonic. Some resemble convulsions, as tension quickly alternates with muscle relaxation, others are longer, for example, a cramp can “pull out” the child’s body, which will remain in a frozen state for several seconds or minutes, while the head is tilted or thrown back. The child cannot make a sound. When weaving types of seizures and transitions from one to another, they are called tonic-clonic.
3. Epileptic and non-epileptic. The first are caused by epilepsy, with them the work of the limbs is disrupted, muscles are paralyzed, sensitivity is lost, mental and mental activity is upset, and consciousness is lost. Non-epileptic seizures include seizures caused by various effects on brain cells. They arise due to an imperfect nervous system and disappear by the age of 4.

There are no convulsions, but the child constantly pulls his leg - what should I do?

A situation where a child may twitch a leg or arm without convulsions occurs in such cases:

1. Tremor. It is manifested by the fact that in a dream the child begins to pull the leg or handle. It arises due to the immaturity of the nervous system of the child. Most often occurs at night, immediately after falling asleep and before waking up.
2. Hypertonicity. Both limbs can twitch, or individually, depending on where the muscle tone is higher.
3. Intestinal colic. Unpleasant sensations or pain in the tummy can provoke this kind of movement in the baby.
4. Overexcitation. A large emotional load, even of a positive nature, affects the fragile psyche of the child and can cause spontaneous movements of the limbs.
5. Tight swaddling. Due to the lack of blood circulation, the "staleness" of the muscles due to stiffness and limited mobility, the baby, having gained freedom, will twitch the legs or the leg that is more swollen.

If twitches are frequent, paroxysmal in nature, accompanied by crying, nervousness, capriciousness, it is advisable to seek advice from a neurologist. This will help eliminate the possibility of developing serious violations.

When does a child's condition become dangerous?

In most cases, seizures are benign and practically harmless. However, pathological convulsions occur, in which the danger lies not in the manifestation itself, but in the disease that caused them. Seizure syndrome can be epilepsy, edema or brain tumor, damage to brain cells due to infectious diseases. The child must be shown to a neurologist or an ambulance called.

First aid

If a cramp has begun, before the doctor arrives, you need to help the child:

• unbutton clothes or take them off if it restricts the baby's breathing;
• turn the child or his head on his side (to avoid falling of the tongue and to facilitate the release of vomit);
• insert a flagellum from a handkerchief between the teeth so as not to bite the tongue;
• if the attack occurred at a high temperature, give an antipyretic, cool the child's skin with compresses or rubdowns;
• ventilate the room or bring the child to the window to increase the supply of oxygen.

In the event of seizures in the baby, you should not refuse hospitalization. If it is not possible to go to the hospital with the child, it is urgently necessary to show it to the pediatrician and neuropathologist.

The doctor will prescribe a series of studies and tests to prevent the possibility of pathological conditions of the body.

Diagnosis and treatment

To diagnose seizures, the following examinations are prescribed:

• a survey of parents for the presence of a hereditary factor, past diseases of the child and problems during its bearing;
• analyze the cause of occurrence, the time between seizures;
• examinations are carried out for the presence of neurological and somatic diseases;
• analyzes of urine, blood and cerebrospinal fluid are taken;
• prescribe electroencephalography, computed tomography;
• the fundus is examined;
• other research methods.

The main treatment should be aimed at eliminating the disease that caused the seizures. To do this, you need to contact a specialist.

He will choose the tactics of treatment and prescribe suitable medications against seizures. The following groups of medicines are most commonly used:

• anticonvulsant drugs (depending on the underlying cause of seizures, prescribe iminostilbenes, valproates, barbiturates, succiminides, or benzodiazepines);
• neuroleptics ("Aminosin", "Magafen", "Thorazine");
• carbamazepine, lamotrigine, valproic acid;
• nootropics ("Phenibut", "Piracetam", "Glycine") (we recommend reading:);
• sedatives (valerian, Novo-Passit, Persen) (we recommend reading:);
• B vitamins.

The anticonvulsant drug is chosen by the doctor taking into account that it must be hypoallergenic, not addictive and not suppress the psyche. Concomitant medicines are used only as prescribed by a specialist.

Do I need to change my baby's lifestyle?

To prevent seizures, it is important to change the features of a child's life:

• observe sleep and wakefulness, while sleep should be at least 10 hours a day;
• eliminate stressful situations, teach the child to calmly respond to problems or quarrels with peers;
• provide a regular balanced diet;
• in case of allergies, avoid irritants;
• exclude the possibility of passive smoking;
• limit the computer and TV to an hour a day and only in the middle of the day;
• before going to bed, find a quiet activity for the child: modeling, drawing, reading;
• make baths with soothing decoctions of lemon balm, motherwort, lavender;
• give the baby a light relaxing massage;
• provide a comfortable temperature - 18 - 21 ° C;
• if you have night fears, get a night light.

Preventive actions

To prevent possible seizures, you should:

• during pregnancy, use a complex of all the necessary vitamins and minerals, as well as exclude all factors that can lead to problems in the baby;
• conduct examinations by a neurologist at least once a year;
• timely give antipyretics.

If the baby has already had seizures:

• adjust the child's lifestyle so as to exclude their recurrence;
• monitor their course (they became prolonged, the attacks became more frequent, accompanied by dizziness, vomiting);
• in case of any changes, immediately contact a neurologist;
• keep antipyretics and anticonvulsants nearby.

Yesterday we started talking about the occurrence of seizures in children and mostly discussed issues related to the development of seizures in the neonatal period. However, similar phenomena can occur in children at an early age, and even in schoolchildren and adolescents. Only now the causes of these convulsions will be somewhat different than in newborns. Let's discuss the occurrence of seizures in children at an early age and your tactics in their development.

Seizures in babies at an early age

In young children, the nervous system is immature and easily excitable. Therefore, the main feature of the development of seizures at this age is their provocation by not as pronounced and significant impulses as it can be in adults. For example, in children at an early age, seizures can be post-hypoxic or febrile (provoked by high temperature). Such convulsions can occur in children at about the age of two to three months after birth, especially when the body temperature in babies rises above 38.0-38.5 degrees.

Usually, such convulsions are generalized (general, of the whole body) and by nature they can be tonic or tonic-clonic, but they can also have any other character - which is less common. This kind of febrile convulsions can be called simple if they occur once with an increase in the child's body temperature and if they lasted no more than ten, a maximum of fifteen minutes. At the same time, there were no focal symptoms or there were no disturbances of consciousness in the event of seizures. The situation will be more complicated if convulsions can be repeated more than once during the first months of life, if convulsions cause various kinds of neurological symptoms, or convulsive seizures last a very long time, can only be stopped in a hospital with medications. In this case, the child needs a detailed examination and the establishment of a more accurate nature of seizures. It is worth remembering that febrile seizures do not appear in children older than two or three years, the occurrence of seizures at an older age will already be suspicious of epileptic seizures.

Why can such seizures occur?

Physicians and scientists cannot yet say for sure the mechanism of occurrence of such febrile convulsions in children. However, one of the leading factors in their formation in febrile states is the immaturity of the nervous system itself, and especially the immaturity of the thermoregulation center in the brain stem. In addition, mechanisms such as weakness of inhibitory processes in the brain with a predominance of excitation processes in it can contribute to the development of febrile seizures in babies. As a result, upon receipt of temperature impulses from the body to the center of thermoregulation, a focus of pathological excitation arises in it - this can form a convulsive attack. This kind of convulsions occur against the backdrop of a fever that occurs with influenza or SARS, as a reaction to the introduction of a vaccine, or with an exacerbation of various kinds of chronic pathologies. Also, one of the important points in the appearance of febrile seizures is a special family predisposition to them, which is transmitted from parents to children. If one of the relatives has epilepsy or had febrile convulsions in childhood, the child needs closer attention - he can give convulsions under special circumstances.

How can you determine that these are convulsions in children?

Febrile seizures are similar in their manifestations to all other types of seizures - both epileptic in origin and any other. All external signs of such convulsions are similar to each other. However, among febrile convulsions, both local seizures with rolling eyes and twitching of the limbs can manifest themselves, as well as tonic seizures with a sharp strong tension in all muscle groups, a sharp throwing back of the head and hands brought to the chest, a strong straightening of the lower limbs. After such a tonic tension of all the muscles of the body, a series of rhythmic twitches of the limbs or a series of strong shudders in separate parts of the body may follow. There may also be sharp atonic seizures of convulsive activity with strong relaxation (softening) in all the muscles of the body, involuntary discharge of urine and stool. Seizures can last from about two to three to fifteen minutes, and convulsions can follow in series of several short sessions. At the time of seizures, the child's consciousness is usually impaired, or contact with him can be drastically difficult - the baby may not respond at all to the conversation of adults, cannot scream or cry. During convulsions, breath holding may also occur with the formation of cyanosis or the appearance of a sharp pallor. In later life, with the next episodes of fever, febrile convulsions can recur in about 30% of children, and then such children require targeted observation and examination by a neurologist.

What should be done with the development of seizures in children?

The development of seizures in a child is not at all a condition in which you can get rid of self-medication or taking certain pills. Seizures can be repeated and significantly harm the health and development of the child. It is necessary at the first sign of convulsions in a child to call an ambulance and until the ambulance and doctors arrive, put the child in a safe place and free him from all restrictive clothing, all kinds of fasteners and rubber bands, socks and tights. It is necessary to put the child on the side, so that the head must be on its side. This is necessary so that in case of vomiting there is no aspiration of the contents of the stomach into the respiratory tract. Between the teeth of the child, it is necessary to lay a piece of clean cloth or a handkerchief so that the child does not bite the tongue during an attack of convulsions and does not inflict additional injuries on himself. It is important to provide the child with free access to fresh air - you need to open a window or balcony, fan the child or turn on the fan. Also, the child needs complete rest and a calm environment so as not to cause additional excitement - it is forbidden to shake or disturb the child, which can cause additional damage to the child during an attack.

If an episode of convulsions occurs against the background of a very high temperature, then it is necessary to give the child antipyretic drugs, undress him as much as possible and, if possible, use all available body cooling methods for him - rubbing, blowing with cool air. However, remember - with a fever, you can not rub the child with vodka, alcohol or vinegar - this will increase the fever and, due to the pungent odor and toxic fumes, will only harm the condition. Rubbing increases heat transfer and the height of the fever only increases. And toxic vapors of alcohol or vinegar can give additional foci of excitation in the brain area. You can wipe the child with a sponge that has been dipped in water at room temperature (but not cold water). It is possible to undress and open the child as much as possible, fan him with a cloth or apply ice (or frozen meat) wrapped in napkins to the projection area of ​​the large vessels of the body.

In addition to febrile convulsions, babies can also experience convulsions against the background of a strong cry or prolonged crying of babies, these can be so-called respiratory convulsions - with such convulsions, the child begins to go into a fit of crying, begins to turn blue and convulsions occur. With such convulsions, it is necessary to carry out a special reflex restoration of normal breathing - you can sprinkle the child with water, let him smell ammonia on a cotton swab. You can press a spoon into the area of ​​​​the root of the tongue, and then give the child sedatives.

After an attack of convulsions, it is necessary to immediately calm the child - he is very scared. Then you need to take it into your own hands and be fully prepared for the fact that the attacks may well repeat. It will be important to pay attention to the duration of the attacks. Time intervals between attacks and features of the child's behavior between attacks. All this information in the future will be extremely important for all the doctors who will then come to you to help the baby. Equally important for doctors will be information about what events could precede the development of seizures, what could provoke the development of seizures and what could influence the development and duration of seizures. Be sure to note for the doctors whether the child has recently had illnesses, whether he has taken medications - including himself, without asking, whether there has been contact with household chemicals and poisoning with it, whether the child could have taken any poisons or toxins, whether he was vaccinated.

Doctors are more likely to suggest hospitalization, especially if the child is small and has all signs of infection and fever on his face. Such a child needs full treatment and supervision of doctors in order to avoid recurrence of seizures. It will also be necessary to find out their exact causes and leave a plan for the treatment and monitoring of a child with similar seizures.

The development of muscle spasm after sports, twitching of the legs - these and other involuntary movements occur with abnormal electrical activity of the brain and the flow of impulses to the muscles. Convulsions in a child during sleep are a typical example of this process. In most cases, such attacks pass without a trace, however, some spasms are a sign of metabolic disorders and require prevention and treatment.

Readiness for convulsive reactions under certain conditions can manifest itself in each person when abnormal discharges occur in the brain regions. For this reason, uncontrolled tension and muscle twitching occur. Seizures are mostly single and harmless unless they are epileptic seizures.

The following factors contribute to the appearance of night cramps in children:

• hypoxia, inflammation of the meninges (meningitis);
• flickering light, for example, when the TV is on;
• various brain damage, trauma;
• congenital malformations of the brain;
• deficiency of mineral elements (K, Mg, Ca);
• malignant brain tumors;
• intoxication;
• lack of sleep.

A child during a convulsive attack may feel a headache, rotates his eyes. Muscles are very tense or twitch.

Febrile convulsions, which occur mainly between the ages of six months and five years, occur in a baby on the background of a fever (high temperature above 38–39 ° C). The duration of the attack is on average 1-2 minutes. About 30% of children suffering from this form of seizures have a hereditary predisposition to them.

Cramps and muscle twitches

Leg cramps - a symptom of a serious illness?

Approximately 7% of children occasionally develop calf cramps. About 30% of the adult population experiences intermittent nocturnal cramps in the calves. Among the elderly, every second suffers from this disease. In most cases, the causes of leg cramps in a child, as in adults, are due to magnesium deficiency.
Diseases that are characterized by convulsive twitches in the calves at night:

1. myositis - inflammation of the skeletal muscles;
2. hepatic and renal dysfunction;
3. restless legs syndrome;
4. hypothyroidism.

During an attack, children suddenly experience a sharp pain, severe muscle tension. If parents are nearby, they can relieve leg cramps in a child by stretching, kneading the calf muscles. It is not uncommon for babies to have several seizures in one night. The convulsive event will recur on subsequent nights if nothing is done.

Prevention of night leg cramps in children

Muscles often lack inorganic elements - magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium. That is why it cramps the legs in a child or an adult. Often, for various reasons, violations of the water and mineral balance occur in the body, which affects the functioning of the brain and the circulatory system. Enough water should be given to the child to maintain the level of water and electrolyte metabolism.

Prevention of cramps of the calf muscles will serve as gymnastic exercises. Special movements will help improve muscle function and circulation.

They will tell you what to do with nighttime leg cramps, herbalists, herbalists, representatives of alternative medicine. Children are offered to drink teas from medicinal plants containing some form of coumarins. They improve lymphatic outflow, improve blood supply to the muscles. Coumarins are found in anise seeds and chamomile flowers.

Smoothies and freshly squeezed juices from vegetables rich in minerals and vitamins will help the baby cope with nightly calf cramps. Dilute drinks with herbal extracts with carrot or apple juice. There is a lot of potassium in spinach, parsley, dandelion leaves, cabbage. Magnesium is rich in seaweed, sunflower seeds, almonds, dried bananas, figs, apricots. There is a lot of calcium in cottage cheese and other dairy products. The source of sodium is common salt and sea salt. There is also a lot of potassium in almond milk, dates, sesame seeds.

Parents should choose comfortable shoes for the baby. Inappropriate sneakers, boots, shoes and sandals squeeze the feet and strain the calf muscles. This is one of the causes of leg cramps at night in a child. During games, sports, children need to rest more often, do stretching exercises.

Night leg cramps - a sign of growth?

Rarely occurring involuntary muscle contractions during sleep should not bother the parents of babies. Why spasms recur periodically, only a doctor can say after a thorough examination. A possible cause of twitching during sleep in children 2–5 years old is overexcitation (outdoor games in the evening, watching cartoons, exciting environment).

But leg cramps at night can provoke active growth processes in the musculoskeletal system. It is necessary to save the child from pain, reduce the severity of spasm. Then the baby is not afraid, calms down faster and continues to sleep.

What to do to prevent seizures in children in a dream:

• In the evening, massage the legs and feet in order to relieve fatigue and muscle tension.
• Conduct a contrast douche of the legs - pour the shins and feet alternately with warm and cool water.
• Create a comfortable sleeping environment in the children's room. Ventilate the room, give the baby pajamas in the cold season.
• Socks will help babies, because one of the causes of leg cramps is their hypothermia.
• Before going to bed, children are given warm milk, read a book.

Help with leg cramps

In agreement with the pediatrician, children are given asparks to increase the level of potassium and magnesium in the blood, reduce symptoms associated with a lack of these mineral elements. The remedy is prescribed for circulatory disorders, for cardiovascular diseases, muscle cramps. Asparkam is produced in the form of tablets and solutions for injection. The drug contains two salts - magnesium and potassium asparaginates.

Transdermal magnesium is supplied to the body by means for foot baths - sea salt, chloride and magnesium sulfate. Sea salt contains almost the entire periodic table, but is especially rich in sodium, calcium, magnesium, iodine. The industry produces easily soluble magnesium chloride flakes for foot baths. The tool provides relaxation of the calf muscles, relieves cramps, facilitates falling asleep, improves the quality of sleep for a child and an adult.

The use of salts is very simple: add 100–150 g of the substance to a container of water (5 l at T 37–38°C). Stir until dissolved, then take a foot bath for 15-20 minutes. You can repeat the procedure every other day, do it 2-3 times a week to relieve the symptoms of nocturnal leg cramps.

Convulsions in a child are a rather dangerous symptom. Few parents know exactly what to do if a baby develops a convulsive syndrome. But it is the quality of first aid in many cases that determines the outcome of the situation. In this article, we will explain why kids and teenagers experience muscle cramps and how parents can act during an attack.

What it is?

Spasms medical science calls muscle contractions that are not subject to the will, which are involuntary or spontaneous spasms. Quite often, such contractions are very painful, painful and cause suffering to the child.

As a rule, a convulsive syndrome occurs suddenly. Sometimes it covers the whole body, sometimes - its individual parts.

Muscle spasms are different. Their classification is quite wide. All seizures are divided into epileptic and non-epileptic. The first are various manifestations of epilepsy, the second can talk about other pathologies.

By their nature, convulsions are:

Tonic. With them, muscle tension is of a long, prolonged nature.

Clonic. With them, episodes of tension are replaced by episodes of relaxation.

Most often among young patients there are mixed - tonic-clonic convulsions. In early childhood, spasms occur much more easily than in adults. This is due to age-related features of the functioning of the central nervous system in general and the brain in particular.

According to the prevalence of convulsions are divided into several types:

focal. They are small twitches of muscles in a particular part of the body. Often, such cramps accompany a state of calcium or magnesium deficiency.

Fragmentary. These spasms affect individual parts of the body and are involuntary movements of the arm or leg, eye, head.

Myoclonic. This term refers to spasmodic contractions of individual muscle fibers.

Generalized. The most extensive of the muscle spasms. With them, all muscle groups are affected.

The tendency to convulsions is called convulsive readiness. The younger the child, the higher his readiness. A child can react with muscle spasms to adverse external influences, to poisoning, to high temperature.

Sometimes seizures are symptoms of illness. Very often, children experience a single episode of convulsive syndrome. After that, convulsions do not recur. But the child still requires very careful monitoring. Doctors found that most adults diagnosed with epilepsy had seizures during childhood. Whether there is a direct connection between childhood convulsions and the subsequent development of epilepsy is not yet completely clear, but observation of a baby who has survived one seizure, just in case, should be continuous and close.

Symptoms and signs

Seizures are always the result of pathological disorders in the brain. It is not difficult to recognize generalized convulsions, in which the whole body of a child is shaken by convulsions. It is much more difficult to notice other forms of convulsive syndrome.

Fragmentary cramps look like a separate muscle twitching. Quite often it persists even in a dream. Even loss of muscle tone, excessive relaxation, a distracted look, indistinct mumbling, numbness are also forms of convulsions.

In some diseases, the child may lose consciousness during a seizure. So, for example, febrile convulsions occur. But with tetanus convulsions, the child, on the contrary, retains clarity of mind even with a strong generalized attack.

The development of an attack always occurs in a certain sequence. For different diseases and conditions, this sequence may be different. Sometimes it is she who allows you to establish the exact cause of muscle spasms.

A generalized seizure is characterized by a sudden onset. During convulsions, the child tightly clenched his jaw, may roll his eyes. Breathing becomes heavy or frequent, may stop briefly. The skin changes color towards cyanosis - turn blue. In some cases, the sphincters relax and the child may pee or crap one's pants.

And although convulsions look frightening and instill panic in parents, they do not carry much danger in themselves. The consequences are much more dangerous if the convulsive syndrome is frequent. This affects the development of the brain, mental and intellectual abilities.

If emergency care is not provided correctly, a child in an attack can suffocate, choke on vomit, get fractures.

Origin mechanism

To understand what exactly is happening with the child, you need to clearly understand how muscle spasm is born and develops. Normal muscle movements become possible only with the coordinated work of the brain and nerve fibers. The stability of this connection is provided by a variety of substances - hormones, enzymes, trace elements. If at least one of the links in this process is disturbed, then the transmission of the nerve impulse occurs incorrectly.

So, incorrect signals from the brain, overheated at a high temperature, are not “read” by muscle fibers and febrile convulsions occur. And the lack of calcium or magnesium in the body makes it difficult for the process of transmitting impulses from brain cells to nerve fibers, resulting in muscle spasm again.

The nervous system of children is imperfect. This system is the most "loaded" in childhood, because it is the only one that is experiencing such rapid changes in the process of growth of the baby.

That is why children often have night cramps. During sleep, blood circulation slows down, muscles relax, impulses pass with a great delay. Muscular spasm at night also occurs in child athletes, whose muscles experience a lot of stress during the day.

When a “failure” occurs, the brain strives with all its might to restore the lost connection. The spasm will last as long as it takes him. After the impulses begin to pass, muscle spasms and convulsions gradually recede. Thus, the attack can begin suddenly, but the reverse development of the attack is always smooth, gradual.

Reasons for development

The reasons that cause children's seizures are different. It should be noted that in about 25% of cases, doctors fail to establish the true cause if the attack was single and did not recur. Children often respond with muscle spasms to a fever with a high temperature, spasms occur with severe poisoning, some neurological problems can also cause increased spastic readiness.

Convulsions in children can occur against the background of dehydration, from severe stress. This unpleasant symptom is accompanied by many congenital and acquired pathologies of the central nervous system. We will discuss the most common reasons in more detail.

Epilepsy

With this chronic pathology, convulsions are in the nature of generalized with loss of consciousness. Seizures are multiple, repetitive. Symptoms depend on the location of the epileptic focus, in which part of the brain there is a violation. The occurrence of an attack is preceded by the impact of a certain factor. So, in some adolescent girls, epileptic seizures occur only during menstruation, and in some young children, only at night or when falling asleep.

All the reasons why epilepsy develops in newborns and older children have not yet been studied, but among the identified factors, the hereditary factor occupies a special place - children often inherit the disease from their parents.

The likelihood of developing a disease in a child increases if the expectant mother during the period of gestation took medications without a doctor's recommendation and an urgent need, drank alcohol, drugs. The risk is increased in premature babies and toddlers who have received birth injuries. In preschool children, the cause of epilepsy can be a severe infection, the consequence of which was, in particular, complicated meningitis or encephalitis.

Seizures in different forms of epilepsy manifest themselves in different ways. Their duration can be from 2 to 20 minutes. There may be short-term pauses in breathing, involuntary urination. If you wish, you can also recognize the first signs in the baby. The baby stops sucking and swallowing, looks at one point, does not react to sounds, light, parents. Quite often, before an attack, the baby's temperature rises, there is increased capriciousness, refusal of food. After an attack, one side of the body may be weaker than the other, for example, one arm or leg will move better than the other. This condition passes after a few days.

Spasmophilia

This disease can cause seizures in children aged six months to 2 years. At a later age, tetany (the second name for spasmophilia) does not occur. Convulsions in this disease have metabolic causes. They are caused by a lack of calcium and magnesium in the body. This condition usually occurs with rickets. Spasmophilia is by no means a common cause, since it occurs in less than 4% of children prone to seizures.

The greatest number of seizures is observed in children with rickets, as well as in premature babies with signs of rickets and rickets-like conditions. The disease is seasonal. In most cases, convulsive spasms occur in the spring, when the intensity of sunlight becomes higher.

Spasmophilia is most often manifested by laryngospasm, that is, a spasm reduces the muscles of the larynx. This does not allow the child to breathe normally, to speak. As a rule, the attack ends after 1-2 minutes, but there are situations when respiratory failure occurs. For a certain form of the disease, the manifestation of tonic convulsions of the hands and feet, facial muscles, as well as general eclampsia, when a convulsion reduces large muscle groups with loss of consciousness, is characteristic.

The danger of spasmophilia is pretty ephemeral, since it has not been proven that it provokes the development of epilepsy at an older age, and respiratory arrest and bronchospasm, which are life-threatening, occur during an attack extremely rarely.

Tetanus

This acute disease has an infectious nature. The body of the child, his central nervous system are affected by a very poisonous exotoxin, which is produced by tetanus bacilli - bacteria that can only be active in an oxygen-deprived space, but warm and humid enough. Such an ideal environment for them are wounds, abrasions, burns and other damage to the integrity of the skin.

The risk of infection is higher in newborns (through an umbilical wound), in children from 3 to 7 years old, who fall and get injured more often than others, in children living in the village, since the bacillus is found in large quantities in the soil in areas where there are feces of cows, horses , of people. The death rate from tetanus is high, for example, newborns die in 95% of cases.

Mandatory vaccination (DTP vaccination) reduces the likelihood of infection, and the timely administration of tetanus toxoid after an injury on an emergency basis can further protect the child.

Convulsions with tetanus can be very strong, almost continuous, generalized. The first signs of the disease can be recognized by the characteristic tremors that occur in the wound area. You can distinguish them from ordinary shudders by frequency and regularity. This symptom is followed by lockjaw - a cramp reduces the masticatory muscles, as a result of which the expression on the child's face changes - the eyebrows "crawl" up, the corners of the lips drop, it is very difficult to open or close the mouth.

At the next stage, cramps begin to reduce the limbs and back, as well as the stomach. Muscles become tense, rigid, "stony". Sometimes in an attack, the child literally freezes in incredible positions, more often horizontally, relying only on two points - the back of the head and heels. The back is arched. All this is accompanied by high fever, sweating, but the child never loses consciousness with tetanus.

Seizures may be rare or almost continuous, often triggered by light, sounds, or people's voices. As you recover, dangerous complications may develop.- ranging from pneumonia and auto-fractures to paralysis of the heart muscle, the development of acute respiratory failure.

Hysteria

A hysterical seizure differs from other causes of convulsive conditions in that it develops not because of viruses and bacteria, but exclusively against the background of a stressful situation. Due to their age, it is quite difficult for children to control their emotions, so hysterical convulsions are not uncommon for them. Usually they affect children from 2-3 years to 6-7 years. This is the period of the most active emotional development. Often the first attacks occur in the so-called "critical years" - 3-4 years, and then 6 years.

The starting mechanism of a convulsive attack is always a strong emotion - resentment, anger, fear, panic. Often, the presence of relatives is necessary to start an attack. The child may fall, but he always retains consciousness. Convulsions are most often local in nature - the hands move, the toes clench and unclench, the head throws back.

The child does not write, does not bite his tongue, and in general rarely receives any mechanical injuries during an attack.

At the time of the attack, the child responds quite adequately to pain. If it is easy to prick him with a needle or pin in his hand, he will pull it back. The movements are in the nature of complex movements - the baby can cover his head with his hands, tuck his legs in his knees and do it rhythmically with an obsessive identity. Grimaces appear on the face, uncontrolled swings of the limbs are possible. The attacks are quite long - up to 10-20 minutes, in rare cases, the child can beat in a fit of hysteria for several hours. Rather, he understands what he is doing, but physically cannot stop an already running process.

The attack ends abruptly. The kid abruptly calms down and behaves as if nothing had happened.. He is not drowsy, as happens after convulsions in epilepsy or after febrile convulsions, not apathetic. Such cramps never occur during sleep.

Febrile

This type of seizures is characteristic only of children and only at a strictly defined age - up to 5-6 years. Muscle spasms develop against the background of high temperature during any infectious or non-infectious disease. Children from 6 months to one and a half years are most susceptible to such convulsions. Under the same conditions, at the same temperature, muscle spasms develop only in 5% of children, but the likelihood of their recurrence in a subsequent illness with high fever is 30%.

Seizures can develop against the background of SARS and influenza, with teething of milk teeth, with severe allergies, and even with a reaction to DTP vaccination. It is impossible to influence their development, neither antipyretic drugs nor constant temperature control reduce the likelihood of this outcome.

It all starts about a day after the establishment of a feverish state. Both simple convulsions, which are expressed by trembling of individual limbs, and complex ones, which cover large muscle groups, the child loses consciousness. Actually, this is the first sign of a febrile seizure. First "brings" the legs, then the body and arms. The chin is thrown back due to the strong tension of the occipital muscle, the face is tense. The skin turns blue, sweating increases, possibly increased salivation.

Intermittent pauses in breathing may occur during an attack.. After passing the peak, the symptoms develop in the opposite direction - the back and face are the first to relax, the legs are the last. After that, consciousness returns. The child is weak, after an attack he wants to sleep very much.

Traumatic brain injury

Convulsions after a skull injury or intracranial injury can develop both immediately and a few days after the incident. By themselves, muscle spasms are not a mandatory consequence of a traumatic brain injury, their nature and severity depend on what kind of injury was received and how serious the lesion is. Parents should be alerted by a change in the behavior and condition of the child - lethargy, apathy, severe headaches, nausea and vomiting, loss of consciousness.

At the first symptom of seizures (and they can be of any kind - from focal to generalized), you should immediately call an ambulance and provide emergency care yourself.

Organic lesions

Convulsions can be accompanied by congenital organic lesions of the central nervous system - microfecalia, hydrocephalus, underdevelopment of the brain lobes, and so on. Doctors will definitely warn parents about this probability, since most of these pathologies become apparent in the first hours and days after the birth of a child.

Often, convulsions occur against the background of existing diseases of the musculoskeletal system (paralysis, cerebral palsy). During meningitis and enfecalitis, convulsions are accompanied by numerous neurological symptoms. They start 1-2 days after the onset of the disease and usually have a frightening generalized character for adults.

Convulsions of different types and intensity, but usually generalized, also accompany toxic lesions of the brain during poisoning with poisons. Quite often the child loses consciousness in an attack. This is preceded by other signs of poisoning - vomiting, diarrhea.

First aid

The algorithm for providing emergency care is quite simple. Parents should first of all call an ambulance and fix the time of the onset of the attack. It will be necessary to gather all the will into a fist and, while waiting for the doctors, to notice all the details of what is happening with the child - what kind of convulsions are, how often they repeat, whether the baby reacts to external stimuli, whether he is conscious. All this information will be useful to the doctor to quickly make the right decision, to establish possible causes. If it is difficult to determine the nature of the seizures yourself, you can film what is happening and show it to the doctor later.

The child is laid on a hard and even surface in a universal “rescue” position: the body position is on its side so that the child does not choke on saliva or vomit. If the legs do not tighten, then you can leave everything as it is. A folded towel is placed under the head.

The child's mouth is cleaned of mucus with a handkerchief or cloth. If the cause is not known for certain, then just in case, it is worth taking precautions that are important in an epileptic seizure. A wooden object (a spoon or a knife handle) is inserted between the child's teeth, be sure to wrap it with a cloth. You can simply tie a knot in a towel and put it in your mouth. This is to protect the tip of the tongue from involuntary biting.

Be sure to open windows, balcony doors, which ensure the flow of fresh air. On this, the tactics of the actions of parents in the event of seizures in a child are exhausted. The rest is up to the doctors.

What not to do:

Give your child something to drink during a seizure.

Do not try to give your baby any medication.

Unclench your teeth by force and shove an iron spoon into your mouth. This can lead to the fact that the teeth will break, and their fragments will fall into the respiratory organs.

Unclench the spasm of the limbs, as this can lead to fractures, rupture of muscles and separation of muscles from bones.

Douse or splash the child with cold water, try to perform artificial respiration, heart massage and other resuscitation measures if breathing is preserved.

Treatment

The tactics of stopping the attack by the ambulance team that arrived will depend on what kind of convulsions happened, and on the probable cause. Most often, with generalized, infantile childhood convulsions, they are administered "Seduxen". The dosage of this drug or "Relanium" for total muscle relaxation is calculated based on the age of the baby.

With affective-respiratory convulsions, which are manifested in children by holding their breath, with febrile convulsions of a simple type, the baby can be left at home. For other attacks - epilepsy, toxic convulsions, tetanus, urgent hospitalization is required.

Treatment usually requires emergency administration of anticonvulsants, intravenous cleansing of the body with saline, mixtures of vitamin and mineral solutions. With tetanus, the child is injected with tetanus toxoid. In case of hysteria, the child is shown neurological and psychiatric care with the use of nootropic drugs and sedatives.

Usually, treatment is not limited to hospital stay. The child is observed at the dispensary, sometimes he is prescribed anticonvulsant drugs for a long time.

After a history of seizures, a child is shown taking multivitamins and microelements, walking in the fresh air, measures to strengthen immunity, and good nutrition.

For information on what to do with convulsions in children, see the following video.