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Absence : Atonic : Complex Partial : Infantile Spasms : Myoclonic : Lennox Gastaut : Simple Partial : Status Epilepticus : Tonic-Clonic

Identifying the different types of seizures or fits can be important if the right treatment is to be chosen.

Here is a list of commonly identified type of seizures.   Making a real, positive  identification can be difficult, especially if your child is having different types of seizures.  If in doubt, use a video camera to capture seizure activity and shown it to your child's neurologist or specialist.  For information regarding drugs to treat seizures, see the Medications page.

Absence

Previously known as petit-mal, this seizure is characterised as a look of being detached, staring into space.  Absence seizures are short, usually lasting only 2-10 seconds.  There is no confusion after the seizure

Atonic : A = absent, tonic = tone

Also known as drop attacks.  Without warning, a child abruptly loses consciousness, and goes floppy, loosing control of limbs and the head dropping. There is no convulsion with this type of seizure.

Complex Partial : Complex = consciousness is impaired, Partial = part of the body is affected (not the whole)

A complex partial seizure often begins with a blank look or empty stare. They will appear unaware of their surroundings and may seem dazed. The seizure may progress to include chewing movements, uncoordinated activity, or sometimes performing meaningless bits of behaviour which appear random and clumsy.  A complex partial seizure usually lasts around 1 to 4 minutes.

Infantile Spasms (IS) or Epileptic Spasms

Also known as West Syndrome.  Symptoms can vary from child to child, however there is usually a sudden spasm or bending (flexion) of the body either at the waist or neck. A baby who is not yet sitting up may be lying quite comfortably and will suddenly draw the legs up at the hips, throw the arms out and lift the head. It is not uncommon for the baby to cry out after a spasm and be rather irritable.  Children who can sit may bend at the waist and their head can fall forward.

Spasms usually occur in clusters. Each one is brief, lasting only a few seconds. Seizures may occur more often when the child is drowsy, either just going off to sleep or just having woken. The onset is predominantly in the first year of life. Often it might be though the child has colic, but colic does not repeat itself like IS.

There is no real age limit to these types of spasms.  It was thought that IS only occur in infants, but more recently it has been concluded that they also occur in older children.  As a result the term Epileptic Spasms is becoming more commonly used.

They is the only seizure type which is known to cause a reversal in developmental skills.

Myoclonic : Myo = muscle, clonic = jerk

Myoclonic seizures occur in several different types of childhood epilepsy. They involve abrupt muscle jerks in part or all the body. A hand may suddenly fling out, a shoulder may shrug, a foot may kick, or the entire body may jerk.

Myoclonic seizures can occur as a single event or in series. Consciousness is not impaired.

Lennox Gastaut Syndrome

This is not a type of seizure, but in fact,

Simple Partial : Simple = conscious, Partial = part of the body is affected (not the whole)

Simple partial seizures may affect any part of the body, like an arm, face or leg, but they can 'spread' affecting other parts of the body. The affected parts will jerk, sometime for a period of minutes.  These seizures can repeat in a series.

Status Epilepticus

A term applied to a single epileptic seizure of more than 30 minutes duration, or a series of seizures during which consciousness is not regained between attacks in a period lasting more than 30 minutes.

Generalised Tonic-Clonic

Previously known as grand-mal  The child's muscles will stiffen (tonic phase) and then their extremities will jerk and twitch (clonic phase). Bladder control may be lost. Consciousness is regained slowly

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This page last updated: 15/11/03