What does a seizure look like in a child?
The attack usually begins with a worsening mood, yawning or thirst, then throbbing pain appears. The child goes into a dark room, refuses to eat, complains of nausea, and sometimes vomits, after which it becomes easier. The pain is aggravated by running, bending and loud noises. Some children experience an aura before an attack: flickering zigzags before the eyes, spots, numbness in the fingers or lips. In preschoolers, migraines can manifest as attacks of abdominal pain with pallor and nausea.
- Duration in children - from 1 to 48 hours
- The pain is often bilateral, in the forehead and temples
- Nausea and vomiting, pallor
- Fear of light and sound, desire to lie down
- Sleep often interrupts an attack
What triggers attacks
Migraine is inherited: in most children, one of the parents also suffers from headaches. But everyday factors trigger a specific attack, and it is these that can be influenced. Most often, these are disrupted sleep patterns, including sleeping too much on weekends, skipping breakfast, lack of water in the heat, stuffy rooms, long periods of screen time without breaks, and emotional stress at school. In teenagers, hormonal fluctuations in girls and energy drinks are added.
- Lack of sleep or sudden change in sleep pattern
- Skipping meals, long breaks in eating
- Dehydration and overheating
- Stress, anxiety before exams
- Bright flickering light, loud noise
- Energy drinks, excess caffeine in adolescents
Examinations: what is needed and what is not
Migraine is a clinical diagnosis: the doctor makes it based on the description of the attacks and a normal neurological examination. A headache diary helps, where you note the date, time, severity of the pain, what preceded it and what helped. Additional research is not needed for everyone, but only for alarming signs or an atypical picture. An MRI of the brain is prescribed if the pain has changed in nature, there are focal symptoms, or the pain wakes you up at night. An EEG does not confirm or exclude migraine; it is done if attacks of a different nature are suspected.
- Examination by a neurologist with testing of reflexes and fundus
- Headache diary for 4–8 weeks
- Blood pressure measurement
- Eye examination by an ophthalmologist
- MRI of the brain - according to indications
- EEG - if epileptic seizures are suspected
How to relieve an attack
The painkiller works better the sooner it is taken - in the first minutes of pain, and not after a few hours. The dose and drug are selected by the doctor according to the age and weight of the child; Adult migraine medications are not given to children unless prescribed. It is important to put the child down in a quiet, darkened room, offer water and let him sleep. A dangerous trap is to take painkillers more than two or three days a week: this causes drug-induced headaches to develop and attacks to become more frequent.
- Take pain medication prescribed by your doctor at the onset of an attack
- Silence, twilight, coolness
- Drinking in small sips
- Sleep as the most effective way to interrupt an attack
- Do not exceed the permitted number of days of taking painkillers per month
Prevention and lifestyle
If attacks occur frequently and interfere with studies, the doctor discusses a course of preventive treatment, as well as non-drug methods. The basis of prevention in children is a predictable routine: sleep at the same time, breakfast, regular meals, sufficient fluids, daily physical activity and dosed screen time. Relaxation techniques and working with a psychologist work well for severe anxiety. Parents should discuss with the school the option of leaving the classroom and resting at the onset of an attack.
- Schoolchildren sleep 9–11 hours, without sudden shifts on weekends
- Mandatory breakfast and snacks without long pauses
- Drinking enough, especially in hot weather
- Walking and moderate sports
- Limiting screens and avoiding energy drinks
- Preventive therapy - according to the decision of the neurologist