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Absence Seizures

What are they like?

Here's a typical story: Frank, a 7-year-old boy, often "blanks out" anywhere from a few seconds to 20 seconds at a time. During a seizure, Frank doesn't seem to hear his teacher call his name, he usually blinks repetitively, and his eyes may roll up a bit. During shorter seizures, he just stares. Then he continues on as if nothing happened. Some days Frank has more than 50 of these spells.

How long do they last?

Usually less than 10 seconds, but it can be as long as 20. They begin and end suddenly.

Tell me more

Absence seizures are brief episodes of staring. (Although the name looks like a regular English word, your neurologist may pronounce it ab-SAWNTZ.) Another name for them is petit mal (PET-ee mahl). During the seizure, awareness and responsiveness are impaired. People who have them usually don't realize when they've had one. There is no warning before a seizure, and the person is completely alert immediately afterward.

Simple absence seizures are just stares. Many absence seizures are considered complex absence seizures, which means that they include a change in muscle activity. The most common movements are eye blinks. Other movements include slight tasting movements of the mouth, hand movements such as rubbing the fingers together, and contraction or relaxation of the muscles. Complex absence seizures are often more than 10 seconds long.

Who gets them?

Absence seizures usually begin between ages 4 and 14. The children who get them usually have normal development and intelligence.

What's the outlook?

In nearly 70% of cases, absence seizures stop by age 18. Children who develop absence seizures before age 9 are much more likely to outgrow them than children whose absence seizures start after age 10.

Children with absence seizures do have higher rates of behavioral, educational, and social problems.

What else could it be?

Absence seizures can resemble some complex partial seizures or episodes of daydreaming:

Questions to Ask

Daydreaming

Seizures

How frequent are the episodes? Not frequent. Complex partial: Rarely more than several times per day or week.
Absence: Could be many times per day.
In what situations do they occur? Boring situation. Any time, including during physical activity; often with hyperventilation (deep or rapid breathing.)
Do they begin abruptly? No. Usually yes. Some complex partial seizures begin slowly with a warning.
Can they be interrupted? Yes. No.
How long do they last? Until something interesting happens. Complex partial: Up to several minutes
Absence: Rarely more than 15-20 seconds
Does the person do anything during the episode? Probably just stares. Complex partial: Automatisms are common.
Absence: Just stares.
What is the person like immediately after the episode? Alert. Complex partial: Confused.
Absence: Alert.

How is the diagnosis made?

The EEG (electroencephalogram), which records brain waves, is helpful in diagnosing absence seizures. Having the child breathe very rapidly often will produce a seizure. Images of the brain such as CT and MRI scans are usually normal, so they are seldom needed if the EEG and other features are typical.

Topic Editor: Orrin Devinsky, M.D.
Last Reviewed:2/1/04


This content is user-generated. Content is not monitored nor consistently reviewed by the epilepsy.com Editorial Board. Epilepsy.com therefore cannot guarantee the accuracy of any content edited with the Wiki sections. While epilepsy.com, the Epilepsy Therapy Project, and its partners encourage visitor interaction and publishing within these sections, users should use caution when exploring content, especially as it pertains to health concerns. No content on epilepsy.com is intended to replace the care of a doctor. We encourage you to contact your own health care provider for individual medical advice. We cannot provide second opinions or make specific recommendations regarding therapy, nor does this Wiki content constitute a recommendation for any diagnosis or treatment options.


What Are the Symptoms of an Absence Seizure?

Because absence seizures are usually quite brief, tend to strike during
times of inactivity, and closely resemble daydreaming or "being off in
one's own world," they may pass unnoticed by others and go undiagnosed
for some time.

There are two types of Absence Seizures

  • Typical
  • Atypical

Typical absence seizures begin abruptly, last 10 to 30 seconds, and
resolve themselves without complication. The person simply stops in his
tracks (and/or mid-sentence), and enters a staring, trance-like state
during which he is unresponsive and unaware of his surroundings. He may
make fumbling movements with his hands, and there may also be eyelid
fluttering, lip smacking, or chewing motions during the seizure. When
the seizure passes, the person returns to normal, with no memory of the
event and no lingering effects. Generally speaking, typical absence
seizures have no discernible cause.

Atypical seizures are similar to typical seizures, except they tend
to begin more slowly, last longer (up to a few minutes) and can include
slumping or falling down. The person may also feel confused for a short
time after regaining consciousness. While the cause of atypical
seizures may be unidentifiable, they are sometimes traced to
abnormalities in the brain that were present at birth (congenital) or
from trauma or injury, or from complications from liver or kidney
disease. This type of seizures may continue into adulthood.

Call Your Doctor About Absence Seizures If:

  • You notice that your child is having spells of "being off in their
    own world" or staring spells or any other behaviors that may indicate
    absence seizures.
  • Your child's teacher complains that your child is "tuning out" or
    "always daydreaming" in school. Have the teacher write down a detailed
    description of your child's behavior, how many episodes per day, and
    how long the episodes last.

Source: www.efactaday.com



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