If your baby suffers from seizures, you are likely wondering if seizures in babies go away. Depending on the condition causing the seizures, the diagnosis of seizures may not last more than a few months of the baby’s life. In serious cases, the baby may continue to have seizures throughout his or her life.
Due to the danger that long-term seizures can have, possibly causing Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), it is important for a doctor to diagnose the seizures and begin performing treatment as early as possible. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studies estimate that about 1 in 1,000 people who have epilepsy will suffer SUDEP.
Doctors are unsure exactly why some people suffer from SUDEP, and some do not, which makes it especially important to try to alleviate the symptoms of your child’s seizures and locate the underlying cause.
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Symptoms of Seizures in a Baby
There several symptoms that can indicate when a baby is having a seizure. However, many of a healthy newborn’s movements and actions are similar to what a seizure looks like in a newborn, often making it difficult to tell the difference.
Infant seizures also do not typically last very long, which further hinders a parent’s or doctor’s ability to recognize them. Some of the symptoms to look for that may indicate your baby is having a seizure include:
- Random eye movements.
- Eyes rolling up.
- Staring for a long time.
- Changes or pauses in breathing.
- Changes in heart rate.
- Stiffening or tightening of muscles.
- Stiffening of arm or leg on one side.
- Jerking movements in the legs.
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Causes of Seizures in Infants
If a baby is having a seizure, it can be brought on by a number of circumstances and conditions:
- Difficult birth: If a baby was in the birth canal too long during delivery, he or she may suffer from a lack of oxygen. This can lead to brain damage that may manifest itself as seizures.
- Injury during birth: Aside from being in the birth canal too long, other injuries may also occur during birth. The doctor may have made a mistake during the delivery, causing an injury to the brain or another area that can bring about long-lasting conditions, including seizures.
- Genetic disorder: A baby may be born with a congenital disability brought about by a genetic disorder that causes seizures.
- Infection: If a baby has an infection in the brain (encephalitis), or an infection in the membrane around the brain (meningitis), it could lead to an illness that causes seizures.
- Fever: If a baby has a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, he or she could experience seizures related to an infection.
If a child has two or more seizures that do not seem to have an obvious cause, the doctor may diagnose the child with epilepsy.
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Outlook for Children with Neonatal Seizures
The circumstances around neonatal seizures can differ for every baby, so it can be difficult to know whether your baby’s symptoms will eventually disappear or not. The outlook for the newborn’s quality of life depends on the severity of the underlying condition that is causing the seizures, as well as the intensity of the seizures themselves.
For a child who has received a diagnosis of a brain injury, the chances of the seizures continuing for months and years is more likely than if the baby had a temporary fever that caused the seizures.
If the baby was born prematurely, it is possible that he or she may suffer seizures for the first few weeks. As the baby ages, these seizures may become less frequent and then disappear entirely, as long as the baby’s brain continues developing normally.
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We Take Pride in Defending the Rights of Medical Malpractice Victims
After a particularly difficult birth, you may have discovered that your baby is experiencing seizures. You will find that the answer to “Do seizures in babies go away?” depends on the cause of these seizures, which may include a birth injury. If you believe your child suffered an injury during your pregnancy or delivery that your doctor could have prevented, you may have a medical malpractice case.
A brain injury during birth can lead to the onset of seizures, as well as other potentially severe conditions and illnesses that could affect your baby’s life for many years to come. You have the right to seek damages for any medical bills you accumulate related to the negligence of your doctor.
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