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Convulsions? Here’s how to treat your child…

Dr Eyinade Kudirat Olateju of Department of Paediatrics at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja says “a child could have convulsion that is associated…

Dr Eyinade Kudirat Olateju of Department of Paediatrics at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja says “a child could have convulsion that is associated with fever. In this case, malaria is the cause of the convulsion. Again, you have convulsion due to infections.  Also, convulsion can be as a result of chest infection like chronic pneumonia, it could also result from meningitis that is the infection of the brain. Also, infection of the urinary tract could lead to convulsion.”

The symptoms of convulsion, health experts say, may be as mild as the child’s eyes rolling or limbs stiffening. Often a fever triggers a full-blown convulsion that involves the whole body.

Febrile seizures (convulsion caused by malaria) may begin with the sudden contraction of muscles on both sides of a child’s body usually the muscles of the face, arms, and legs. The child may cry or moan from the force of the muscle contraction. The contraction continues for several seconds, or tens of seconds. The child will fall, if standing, and may pass urine.

The child may vomit or bite the tongue. Sometimes children do not breathe, and may begin to turn blue.

Again, the contraction is broken by brief moments of relaxation. The child’s body begins to jerk rhythmically. The child does not respond to the parent’s voice.

As a mother, if you discover that your child is convulsing what do you do? Dr Olateju says if this happens, especially if it is due to fever, she should undress the child. Then pour cold water on the child. If she has paracetamol, she can give the child to reduce the fever. Then rush the baby to the hospital because not all convulsions are due to fever. Again, self medication is discouraged.”

Olateju continues, “When they bring the child to the hospital, we find out the underlying cause of that convulsion. If the child is still convulsing, we try to stop the convulsion by giving injections. After that, we take history of what preceded the convulsion and how it has progressed. We then take body fluids for investigation in the lab. Urine to ascertain that there is no infection of the urinary tract; or blood to rule out blood stream infection.”

Very few children with febrile seizures are admitted to the hospital. The treatment for febrile seizures is keeping the temperature down, and possibly a medication if a specific infection is found such as an ear infection.

A simple febrile seizure stops by itself within a few seconds to 10 minutes. It is usually followed by a brief period of drowsiness or confusion. A complex febrile seizure lasts longer than 15 minutes.

Health experts say a child can get a convulsion the next time he is attacked by another bout of high fever. The chance of having another febrile convulsion in the following year is 30%, but this means that 70% (or 7 out of 10 children) will not have another seizure. The risk of a second seizure reduces every year and it becomes extremely rare after children turn 6 years old.

One study which followed up children who had had a febrile seizure found that they “did at least as well as, if not better than, children without convulsion on measures of intelligence, academic achievement, behaviour, and working memory”.

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