Statistically, it is believed that more than 750 children are born each year in the United States of America with a genetic defect known as Down syndrome. Often diagnosed during pregnancy, parents of children with Down syndrome eagerly await the baby’s arrival, preparing for life’s challenges, rewards, and health complications. For a small fraction of Down syndrome children, health complications are exacerbated by the onset of seizure activity disorder in early childhood. While seizure disorders are generally limited to tonic-clonic seizure activity, parents caring for children with Down syndrome are often fearful. and is confused when the beginning of the seizure begins. For this reason, parents of children with Down syndrome parents, as the first confirmation of the condition, should begin to be educated. in seizure complications of Down’s syndrome in children and methods of treatment.
Tonic-clonic seizure activity, in the world of generalized seizure disorders, is considered the most common type of episodic seizure. It is described, symptomatically, due to a loss of consciousness, with muscle rigidity and a high frequency of jerking movements, tonic-clonic seizures are the type of people most identified as symptoms related to a seizure disorder. For Down syndrome babies, these tonic-clonic seizures often begin within the first year of life, but in rare cases can be delayed until mid-adulthood.
For parents to care for a child with Down syndrome who may exhibit symptoms of a seizure disorder, a consultation with a pediatric neurologist is required. Pe While an EEG does not provide a conclusive diagnosis of a seizure disorder, it does provide screening in which a neurologist can determine if further testing is considered.
For children with Down syndrome, suffering from a seizure disorder, treatment most often involves the use of prescription drugs used to control and regulate the inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms of the brain. Known as anti-convulsants, these prescription medications are commonly used in various combinations and dosages until a Down syndrome child’s seizure activity is controlled.
In addition to prescription drugs, in seizure disorder treatment in Down syndrome children, many parents, along with the recommendation of a neurologist , consider using modified nutritional techniques for a child with Down syndrome. Through the diet, known as the ketogenic diet, there are positive indications to support the inhibitory mechanism of the baby’s brain. was raised, thereby reducing the frequency of seizures in children with Down syndrome. The Ketogenic Diet, often associated with Atkins Diet, involves a nutritional program in which a child’s diet is supported. on a low carbohydrate plan with increased fat intake. Because the Down syndrome diet puts the child at greater risk for nutritional deficiencies, consultation with a nutritionist is recommended before pursuing the ketogenic method as a treatment method or at least a method to alleviate seizure activity in a Down syndrome child.
Parents, care for a child with Down syndrome, there are many challenges and rewards. While seizure disorders are only among the various medical complications in children with Down syndrome, it is a complication that can be treated and alleviated in most cases. The key to achieving appropriate care for a child with Down syndrome, with a seizure disorder, lies in communication and collaboration. in and between the pediatric neurologist and the dietician or nutritionist.
For more information about seizure disorders and the Ketogenic diet in Down syndrome children, visit www.epilepsyfoundation.org.
