Absentia epileptica
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Description:
Absentias epileptica (from фр. absence, literally — "absence"; "small attacks", or фр. petit mal) — one of kinds of an epileptic attack — an epilepsy symptom.
Symptoms Absentias epileptica:
It is characterized by sudden short-term shutdown of consciousness. The person suddenly, without any preliminary harbingers (aura), ceases to move, as if petrifies. The look is directed before itself, the look does not change. At the same time the patient does not react to external irritants. During the patient's absentia epileptica does not answer questions, his speech breaks. In several seconds normal mental activity is recovered. Reminiscence of an absentia epileptica is absent, and therefore for the patient it remains unnoticed; the patient continues the interrupted movement. Emergence at the age of 5-6 years is characteristic of absentias epileptica. Up to 4 years of true (simple) absentias epileptica does not happen as emergence of this phenomenon requires a certain maturity of a brain.
Characteristic of absentias epileptica is their high frequency in hard cases reaching tens and even hundreds of attacks a day.
Diagnostic criteria of simple absentias epileptica:
1. Seconds last.
2. Lack of reaction to external irritants in unconsciousness.
3. The patient does not notice that the typical absentia epileptica transferred. In his opinion, nothing occurred, and it was in consciousness all the time.
The insufficient dream provokes absentias epileptica.
At EEG there is a specific pattern — generalized peak - wave activity with a frequency of 3 hertz.
Difficult absentias epileptica are such states at which against the background of shutdown of consciousness phenomena, characteristic and identical to this patient, are noted. It can be also the so-called "absentia epileptica automatism" which is characterized by in the same way repeating motive acts: the movements of lips or language, gestures, usual the automated actions (arrangement of clothes, a hairstyle, etc.). Quite often difficult absentias epileptica are followed by increase in a muscle tone. In this case the extension of the head accompanied with assignment of eyeglobes up, sometimes a trunk pulling back is noted. In more expressed cases the flexure of a trunk of a kzada and with a step backwards for balance preservation joins. Sometimes shutdown of consciousness is followed by an atonia and the subsequent falling.
Allocate also difficult myoclonic absentias epileptica — at these cases there are bilateral rhythmic myoclonic phenomena, usually mimic muscles, is more rare than muscles of upper extremities. Difficult absentias epileptica demand a smaller maturity of a brain, and therefore usually arise at earlier age, 4-5 years.
Diagnostic criteria of difficult absentias epileptica:
1. Tens of seconds last
2. The patient who is in unconsciousness can be taken by hand, to carry out for itself on several steps.
3. The patient who transferred a difficult absentia epileptica feels that to it there was something unusual. Usually he establishes also the consciousness shutdown fact.
Reasons Absentias epileptica:
The main reasons leading an epilepsy absentia epileptica to increase of manifestations are photostimulation (influence of bright light, especially – sharp), a sleep disorder, an intellectual overstrain, a hyperventilation. For girls risk factor is also the beginning of periods.
Treatment Absentias epileptica:
Treatment of absentias epileptica is necessary also for the purpose of the prevention of development of heavier stage of epilepsy with big attacks. Treatment in 90% of cases yields good result. Main drugs Valproatum (Depakinum, Convulexum) and Ethosuximidum (Suxilepum).
Besides, the major condition is the sufficient dream.
