What are signs of infantile spasms?

Symptoms of Infantile Spasms (IS)

• Raise their arms over their head or stick their arms straight out to the side.
• Stiffen their legs or “tuck them into the belly,” as if having stomach pain.
• Suddenly bend at the waist.
• Drop or bob their heads briefly.
• Roll their eyes back suddenly with subtle head nodding.

What are the causes of infantile spasms?

What Causes Infantile Spasms? Infantile spasms can be caused by problems with the way the brain developed in the womb, infections, brain injury, or abnormal blood vessels in the brain (such as an arteriovenous malformations). Infantile spasms also can happen in babies with some types of metabolic and genetic disorders.

What is the best treatment for infantile spasms?

The two standard treatments for IS are hormone therapy (ACTH or steroids) or a drug called vigabatrin (Sabril®)….If your child doesn’t respond to either hormone treatments or vigabatrin, further treatment options include:

• The ketogenic diet.
• Other anti-seizure medicine.
• Surgery.

What do Infantile seizures look like?

More pronounced signs may include the baby’s arms coming up with a slight head nod and their eyes rolling up. While this type of movement may look like the baby is just startled, spasms may occur for five to ten seconds in a cluster for several minutes when the baby first wakes up or is going to sleep.

Are infantile spasms serious?

Infantile spasms most often begin when a baby is 3 to 12 months old. Infantile spasms can cause serious, permanent changes to a child’s developing brain without early diagnosis and treatment. Medication or surgery often stops the spasms, but some children are at risk for other types of seizures later in life.

Do infantile spasms make babies cry?

Infantile spasms only last a second or two but often come in a cluster (multiple spasms in a row). Infantile spasms commonly occur around times of sleep, especially upon awakening. After a spasm, babies will often be irritable or cry.

What is the life expectancy of a child with infantile spasms?

About five in every 100 infants and children with West syndrome do not survive beyond five years of age. A study of 214 Finnish children over 25 years of age showed about 61% dying at or before age 10 years.

Can you live a normal life with infantile spasms?

An etiologic diagnosis is very important because it can lead to initiation of a specific therapy that may markedly improve the long-term developmental outcome. In fact, some children with infantile spasms may ultimately lead normal lives, but only if they are diagnosed and treated correctly.

Do infants cry during seizures?

The baby may appear calm or cry in between the spasms and they are likely to occur every day. Parents who think they have seen these symptoms are encouraged to record the baby during a suspected seizure.

Does infantile spasm happen during sleep?

Though there is almost always a cluster of spasms in the morning when the child awakens from sleep, infantile spasms can occur at any time during the day or night.

Can breast milk cause seizures?

They talked to the mothers, and tracked how many kids had seizures after they were a year old. In the study, kids who had been breastfed for at least 3 months had about a one in 135 chance of developing epilepsy after they were a year old.

How do you treat convulsions in babies?

Loosen tight clothing surrounding the head or neck. Don’t put anything in your child’s mouth or try to stop the convulsion unless your pediatrician has told you what to do. If your child vomits, move them onto their side and clear out their mouth. Don’t try to hold your child down or restrain their movements.

Do babies cry during seizures?

Can infantile spasms be cured?

Infantile spasms usually stop by age five, but may be replaced by other seizure types. Many underlying disorders, such as birth injury, metabolic disorders, and genetic disorders can give rise to IS, making it important to identify the underlying cause. In some children, no cause can be found.