What Is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that involves repeated seizures. The seizures are triggered by abnormal changes in the electrical and chemical activity of the brain.
Seizures are also called convulsions, episodes or fits. They come on suddenly. Seizures temporarily change a child’s state of awareness and physical activity. They also affect the senses, such as smell, vision or sensation.
Most children with seizures are treated by doctors called neurologists. Neurologists specialize in disorders of the brain and nervous system. Medicine helps about two out of three children with epilepsy stop having seizures entirely. Read more about the Neurology Department at Seattle Children’s.
If medicine alone doesn't help enough, your child may benefit from surgery. This article will tell you more about our services in neurosurgery for children with epilepsy.
Epilepsy in Children
Epilepsy affects about 1% of the general population, but it is more common in children. About 5% of children younger than 5 years old have epilepsy.
This number doesn't include children who have seizures caused by a high fever. These types of seizures are different from epilepsy. They are called febrile seizures. They either happen only once or only when your child has a fever.
A number of conditions besides epilepsy or high fever can cause seizures:
- Brain tumors
- Head injuries
- Exposure to poisons
- Brain infections
- Injury to the brain of a baby before birth
- Genetic abnormalities
When the reason for seizures is epilepsy, doctors can find no more specific cause in more than half of the children who have them.
Epilepsy at Seattle Children’s
Children’s has a very active and well-respected epilepsy surgery program.
Our Neurosurgery and Neurology departments work together closely. Doctors in these programs work with you to decide if your child might benefit from surgery. We're also a part of the University of Washington Epilepsy Surgery Program.
Our neurosurgeons operate on about 40 children with epilepsy each year. We use the most up-to-date technology and science to find and remove the focus of your child's epilepsy.
In addition, each year we implant a device called a vagal nerve stimulator in 15 to 20 children. This device helps control seizures. We use it if your child is not helped enough by medicine or surgery.