I had a mother reach out to me and have shown that a topic I might want to explore on the site was the topic of Infantile Spasms and Down Syndrome.
I am in a number of facebook groups for parents of children with Down Syndrome and this was not a period unfamiliar to me, nonetheless, the extended investigate that would be done by a mom in this situation was not something I was yet familiar with. That’s when I did what I do best…I expected a momma to tell her story.
Let me start by introducing the term: Infantile contractions( IS) is a uncommon seizure condition that occurs in young children, generally under one year of age. The average age of onslaught is around four months, but some children may experience spasms as early as one month. A few children may begin as late as two years. Only about 2,500 “childrens and” the US are diagnosed every year with IS. It often has a very subtle appearance so it is difficult for parents to recognize that it is a serious problem. ( childneurologyfoundation.org )
How common is this diagnosis for children with Down Syndrome?
While infantile convulsions are serious, they are not common. Judgments advocate 1 to 3 percent of children with Down syndrome will develop infantile convulsions, while the highest estimate targets that figure around 13 percentage. ( globaldownsyndrome.org )
So what does a mother need to look for?
The classic structure of infantile spasms facets slight manager bobbing, which becomes more rapid over time.
In most cases, the contractions carried out in collections. They reproduce every 5 to 30 seconds, sometimes 10 to 40 eras in a single cluster; the assemble often continued on two to three minutes but can be several minutes. The spasms become less intense and farther apart as the gather progresses.
A child may have various gathers per day. The convulsions rarely pass while a child is asleep, and often happen just after he wakes up. He may be quiet before and during the attack, or he may cry or even laugh between convulsions. After a collection of pains, he may be depleted or more alert. (aboutkidshealth)
But, what does this look like for a parent? Leah shares her daughter, Mae, and hopes to help any other parent recognize these indications right away to seek medicine if necessary.
As a mother of small children with Down syndrome, we all know that the extra chromosome that performs our children so cute can also cause various state problems. Infantile pains( IS) is one of those issues, and one that they are able unfortunately be easily missed in children around Down syndrome.
My daughter, Mae, is six months aged. Last-place week my husband and I was noted that she looked like she was trying to sneeze. Her head came slightly forward, noses somewhat squinted and then dilated. She recurred this four times in a row, and I immediately became concerned, as our physician had warned us of her hazard for infantile contractions. We called the neurologist and had an EEG two days later.
Based on the EEG ensues they diagnosed her with infantile pains and she was started on prescriptions to help stop the convulsions and hopefully panacea her of IS. We are thankful that we had a physician tell us about the increased risk for IS in children with Ds so that we would know what to look for. As we have waited for the prescriptions to work, her convulsions have become more pronounced 😛 TAGEND
Infantile spasms is a seizure disorder that occurs in young children, often under one year of age. These cramps can show very subtle, with some children representing with time little premier puts, while others will have a slightly more obvious appearance referred to as “jack knifing”, where their top sags forward and their legs haul up. At hours these fluctuations can look like a regular move reflex, colic, or reflux.
Early diagnosis is key for Infantile Spasms; as if it is left untreated it can cause significant developmental times and increases the chances for autism.
The only way to diagnosis or officially rule in Infantile Spasms is through an EEG. An EEG is a test, which entails electrodes attached to the child’s head( sometimes with glue, sometimes with a essence same to an emulsion lotion ). The EEG will be attached to the child for a certain period of time( normally 1-4 hours) to evaluate for abnormal brain wave patterns.
This has been a terribly overtaking experience for my family. We feel like we are still reeling from our birth diagnosis as well as the various other health concerns Mae has faced so far in her short-lived soul. We are hopeful that the prescriptions will work for Mae and that we will be able to situated everything there is behind us soon. We are so appreciative that we managed to diagnosis Mae rapidly and I hope this information promotions others if they are regrettably in similar situations with their little one.
Other sources: http :// www.childneurologyfoundation.org/ ills/ infantile-spasms /
http :// noahsdad.com/ infantile-spasms /
http :// www.epilepsy.com/ learn/ types-epilepsy-syndromes/ infantile-spasms-wests-syndrome
Leah lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband Pete, 6 month old-time daughter Mae, and pup Roscoe. She is a pediatric wet-nurse who loves the outdoors. You got to find her on instagram @lkechele
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