{"id":227,"date":"2017-07-01T20:15:15","date_gmt":"2017-07-01T20:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/docneuro.jz7sunfr-liquidwebsites.com\/absence-epilepsy\/"},"modified":"2020-01-20T20:44:59","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T02:44:59","slug":"absence-epilepsy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/docneuro.com\/absence-epilepsy\/","title":{"rendered":"Absence Epilepsy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Absence epilepsy is a type of primary generalized epilepsy in children, and usually presents as staring spells. <!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Clinical Presentation of Absence Epilepsy<\/h3>\n<p>Childhood absence epilepsy develops in children, with a peak onset of 6 years old. Development of these seizures at an age of 10-12 is more consistent with the juvenile subtype or <a href=\"https:\/\/docneuro.com\/juvenile-myoclonic-epilepsy\/\">juvenile myoclonic epilepsy<\/a> rather than the typical childhood absence. Seizures have a sudden onset and abrupt termination of unresponsiveness. The seizures consist of staring spells, often associated with repetitive eyelid movements or oral automatisms. The events last for seconds at a time, typical around 10 seconds. The seizures can be triggered by hyperventilation, and in the pediatrician&#8217;s office seizures can provoked by having the child blow into a pinwheel or blow a tissue.<\/p>\n<h3>3 Hz Spike and Wave Discharges on EEG<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_507\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-507\" style=\"width: 1368px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-507 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/docneuro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/3Hz-absence.bmp\" alt=\"petit mal seizure in absence epilepsy: 3 Hz spike and wave EEG\" width=\"1368\" height=\"1005\" srcset=\"https:\/\/docneuro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/3Hz-absence.bmp 1368w, https:\/\/docneuro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/3Hz-absence-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/docneuro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/3Hz-absence-1024x752.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/docneuro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/3Hz-absence-768x564.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1368px) 100vw, 1368px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-507\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">3 Hz spike and wave EEG seen with absence epilepsy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The classic EEG finding in absence seizures is an ictal pattern consisting of 3-Hz generalized spike-wave discharges. An example of this pattern is shown below.<\/p>\n<h3>Pathology and Genetics of Absence Epilepsy<\/h3>\n<p>Multiple genetic mutations have been associated with this disorder, although not all genetic mutations have been identified. The best described mutations are in calcium channels, chloride channels, GABA-A receptors, and GABA-B receptors. The 3 Hz spike and wave discharges are thought to reflect a synchronized thalamocortical network. T-type calcium channels in the thalamus are thought to be an important component in the epileptic circuit.<\/p>\n<h3>Treatment of Absence Seizures<\/h3>\n<p>The first-line therapy for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchicagomedicine.org\/conditions-services\/neurology-neurosurgery\/epilepsy-seizures\">absence seizures<\/a> is ethosuximide. If ineffective, valproic acid, lamotrigine and levetiracetam can be tried. Several anti-seizure medications are thought to worsen absence seizures, and should be avoided. These include carbamazepine, vigabatrin, tiagabine and phenytoin.<\/p>\n<h3>Prognosis<\/h3>\n<p>The majority of children with absence epilepsy have spontaneous remission of the seizures by the early teenage years. However, the ~1\/3 of patients who do not enter remission typically progress to have Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME).<\/p>\n<h3>Petit mal seizures<\/h3>\n<p>The term &#8220;petit mal&#8221; is often used to describe staring seizures without convulsions, but this term is no longer considered an official descriptor of absence seizures.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Absence epilepsy is a type of primary generalized epilepsy in children, and usually presents as staring spells.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[550,547,548,549,551],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Absence Epilepsy - DocNeuro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Absence epilepsy: clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. 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