Neonatal Seizure

What is a Neonatal Seizure

Neonatal seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in a newborn’s brain. Neonatal seizure affects babies who are younger than 28 days old. They cause the body to jerk or twitch.

Neonatal seizures range from mild to severe. In some cases, they can lead to permanent brain disability and long-term epilepsy. Neonatal seizures are rare and can sometimes be confused with other conditions.

What are the causes?

This condition may be caused by:

  • Lack of oxygen during labor.
  • An infection.
  • A stroke.
  • A blood clot.
  • An abnormal structure of the brain.
  • A blood sugar imbalance.
  • A metabolic disease.
  • Maternal drug abuse during pregnancy.
  • Genetic diseases.
  • A medicine.

Sometimes the cause is not known.

What increases the risk?

The following factors may make a baby more likely to develop this condition:

  • Premature birth.
  • Low birth weight.
  • Family history of neonatal seizures.
  • Drug abuse by the mother during pregnancy.

What are the signs or symptoms?

Symptoms depend on the type of seizure your baby has. Symptoms can last from 10 seconds to 1–2 minutes. Types of neonatal seizures include:

  • Subtle.
  • Clonic.
  • Tonic.
  • Myoclonic.

Subtle seizure

  • Eye movements such as eye rolling, staring, fluttering of the eyelids, or blinking.
  • Twitching of the face or tongue, sucking, or chewing.
  • Pedaling or cycling leg movements.
  • Swimming or struggling upper-body movements.
  • Temporary stops in breathing (apnea).

Clonic seizure

  • Rhythmic jerking of the face, tongue, arms, legs, or back.
  • Turning the head or eyes to one side.

Tonic seizure

  • Stiffening or tightening muscles of the body, sometimes on only one side.
  • Turning the head or eyes to one side.

Myoclonic seizure

  • Sudden and quick jerking of one or both arms or legs or of the whole body.

How is this diagnosed?

This condition may be diagnosed based on:

  • Your baby’s medical history.
  • A physical exam.
  • An electroencephalogram (EEG).
  • Blood tests.
  • Imaging tests of the head, such as:
    • An ultrasound.
    • A CT scan.
    • An MRI.

How is this treated?

Your newborn may be admitted to the hospital until the cause of the seizures is understood and the seizures are under control. Treatment depends on the cause of the seizures. It may include:

  • Antiepileptic or anticonvulsant medicine. These may be prescribed to control and prevent future seizures.
  • Prescription vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). These may be prescribed if a genetic disease leads to vitamin B6 deficiency.
  • IV solutions. These may be used to correct a sugar or electrolyte imbalance caused by a genetic disease.

In some cases, treatment is not necessary and the seizures go away on their own.

Follow these instructions at home:

  • Give over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your baby’s health care provider.
  • Understand the signs of a seizure.
  • If a seizure occurs, stay calm. Do what your baby’s health care provider told you.
  • Consider joining a parent support group to help you cope.
  • Keep all follow-up visits as told by your baby’s health care provider. This is important. Your baby may need to be seen regularly for monitoring and testing.

Contact a health care provider if:

  • Your baby continues to have seizures.
  • Your baby’s seizures are not controlled with treatment.

Get help right away if:

  • Your baby has multiple seizures in a row.
  • Your baby has a seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes.
  • Your baby has episodes of apnea.
  • Your baby has a fever.
  • Your baby has other signs of illness, such as poor feeding or excessive sleeping.

Summary

  • Neonatal seizure is a rare disorder and has many possible causes.
  • There are many types of neonatal seizures. Symptoms can include shaking, stiffening of the limbs and body, eye fluttering, quick jerks of the limbs, or spells of apnea.
  • Treatment depends on the cause of the seizures. In some cases, treatment is not necessary and the seizures go away on their own.
  • Contact a health care provider if your baby’s seizures are not controlled with treatment.
  • Get help right away if your child has a seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes or multiple seizures in a row.
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