Fred Ezeh, Abuja
There was palpable fear and anxiety a few weeks ago in the home of Mrs. Linda Ekpeyong, in Abuja. Her three-year-old daughter, Thelma, suddenly began to act in a way that was strange. Before her eyes, her little daughter was gasping for air. It was as if she will breathe her last the next minute.
The woman was confused, lost in thought and lacked knowledge of the next action to take regarding the sudden health development of her daughter. Amid that, her voice was on steady rise for help.
The health challenge was totally new to her as she confessed that she never experienced such in the past. She shouted endlessly calling for help from neighbours or passersby. Luckily, a help came as quickly as she needed it. A passerby intervened knowing what might have happened to the child.
The child had convulsion. The woman neither had basic knowledge of the situation nor actions to take to calm the situation.
Shortly after the passersby’s intervention, the little girl was calm and safe. The woman admitted that she has heard the word “convulsion” but had never experience of it.
Wikipedia defined convulsion as a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrollable shaking of the body. It added that convulsion could sometimes be used as a synonym for seizure because of its epileptic nature. It could attack children and adult.
Most common type of seizure, according to findings, is called a generalised seizure, which could also be referred to as generalised convulsion.
It is characterised by loss of consciousness, which often lead to collapse. The body could stiffen for about a minute and then jerks uncontrollably for a few more minutes.
Symptoms of convulsion
The patient that suffers convulsion might experience several different symptoms such as brief loss of consciousness, confusion, drooling, loss of bowel/bladder control, sudden shaking of entire body, uncontrollable muscle spasms, temporary cessation of breathing, and many more.
During the experience, the patient, if not properly protected, could fall and possibly sustain serious injury. The patient could also bite his or her tongue and lose control of his or her bladder.
Several studies have confirmed that not all epileptic seizures lead to convulsions, and not all convulsions are caused by epileptic seizures. But convulsions are consistent with an electric shock and improper enriched air scuba diving.
Evidences confirmed that symptoms usually last from a few seconds to around 15 minutes, which could be tortuous for the parents or relatives of the patient. In the course of the symptoms, the person could fall and sustain injury, hence the need for close monitoring.
A few medical experts that spoke to our correspondent cautioned care givers against actions that could possibly cause more harm or injury to the individual. They that advised that nothing should be placed between the person’s teeth during a seizure, including fingers.
Causes
Convulsion most often happen to children below 10 years. There are evidences that adults could also suffer convulsion. Medical experts, however, said specific cause of convulsion is often not clear but could be largely attributed to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. They said convulsions could also be caused by specific chemicals in the blood, as well as infections, like meningitis or encephalitis.
Findings indicate that common cause in children is severe fever, which triggers such action from the brain. Other possibilities could be celiac disease, head trauma, stroke or lack of oxygen to the brain. Sometimes the convulsion could be caused by genetic defects or brain tumors. It can also occur when the blood sugar is too low and deficiency of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine).
Evidences have confirmed that malaria is a major cause of convulsions among children under-six years of age in Nigeria. A pediatrician with the National Hospital Abuja, Dr. Oluseyi Oniyangi, confirmed that severe fever is majorly the cause of convulsion in children.
She said convulsion basically originates from the brain due to effect of the unexpected severe feverish attack on the child, while confirming that it does not only attack children but could also visit adults.
Oniyangi said close observation and proper immunisation are extremely helpful in protecting a convulsing child.
Dispelling fear that children that suffered convulsion at tender age could face brain problem in future, she advised parents against administering local options to a convulsing child to avoid complicating the health issue.
She strongly advised that the child be taken to hospital for proper medication after the body temperature might have calmed down.
Things to do
Oniyangi advised parents to be more conscious of signs or things that could trigger convulsion in children and to know steps to take to calm the situation.
She said: “A convulsing child should be kept away from harmful environment or objects. The child should be under closed monitoring and observation. Parents or care givers should never panic or take irrational actions. When it happens, a clean cloth should be soaked in cold water and used to massage the body of the child consistently until the body temperature drops. Thereafter, the child should quickly be taken to the hospital for proper medical attention.”
Another pediatrician, Dr. Ayodele Renner, who had worked with Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said convulsions could attack children and adult depending on the situation.
He said the attack could comes in different forms. According to him, repeated convulsions could lead to epilepsy in children or adults.
Said he: “Once a child experienced more than one convulsion without a fever, and other possible causes are not confirmed, then that child has epilepsy.
“Most importantly, we must know that if convulsion goes unchecked, it could affect the brain development and performance of the patient.”
He encouraged parents to approach competent medical personnel for solutions.