Winter puts kids at risk of seizures 

Pneumonia, fever linked to febrile spasms; gap in care due to pandemic affects epileptics
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, parents have been refraining from visiting pediatricians.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, parents have been refraining from visiting pediatricians.

BENGALURU: Dipping temperatures are cause for fresh worry. Doctors warn that infections in children which cause fever, can increase risk of seizures. This can happen to either children suffering from epilepsy or can be febrile seizures, where the child is otherwise healthy and does not suffer from epilepsy.

“Though there is no link between the winter season and epilepsy, children are more likely to contract chest infections, cough and cold during winters, and the associated fever can trigger a seizure in a child who has epilepsy,” said Dr Ravi Kumar C P, Consultant, Paediatric Neurology, Aster CMI Hospital.

The hospital received a case where a boy, aged just under three years and an epileptic since six months of age, suffered pneumonia which worsened his seizures. He had missed repeated medical consultations during the past nine months due to the pandemic, and had to be admitted in hospital, his medications were adjusted and he was discharged on Saturday.

“There are some systems in our body that increase electrical activity, and others that keep it under check. When a person has fever, it heightens the excitatory system in the body. When electrical activity crosses a certain threshold, it leads to seizures, as the fever lowers this threshold,” Dr Kumar explained.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, parents have been refraining from visiting pediatricians. This can have a negative impact on the prognosis for the child. The younger the child, the higher the risk in delaying medical advice. Uncontrolled seizures severely impact the developing brain, and can have a negative long-term effect in epilepsy patients.

“When children get upper respiratory tract infections, owing to change in climate, it can lead to febrile seizures. These are common and medication is not recommended. They don’t have long-lasting effects and children outgrow them by five years of age. We teach parents how to manage the seizures and underlying infection, including medicines for fever for 3 to 5 days,” said Dr Prabhjot Kaur, Consultant, Pediatric Neurology, Rainbow Children’s Hospital.

In cases of epilepsy, however, treatment is tailored for the child, and could include changing the dosage, withdrawing, adding or changing specific medication. These depend on the kind of epilepsy, reasons causing it and additional factors contributing to seizures, Dr Kaur said. “Parents can ensure warm clothing and caps during such weather.. Children need to eat and sleep well, and not miss follow-up appointments with the doctor,” Dr Kumar added.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com