When treating children’s forms of epilepsy, the doctor and patient’s parents should act as a kind of “united front”; the work should be built in an environment of mutual trust and understanding of the patient’s relatives about the main aspects of the disease and treatment.
The physician should explain to relatives that the diagnosis of epilepsy can only be made by a specialist. It must be remembered that a single convulsive attack, although it is worrying about the possibility of developing the disease does not mean that the patient has epilepsy. Single convulsive paroxysms can often occur under the influence of various factors – fever, metabolic disorders (hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesiemia), uremia, acute infection, poisoning, head injury, etc., the elimination of which leads to relief of attacks. Not every seizure is epilepsy. Any child can at least once suffer convulsions in certain situations. But always with cramps should consult a doctor.
Parents should describe in detail the doctor: the nature of the attack (the position of the head, eyes, movements in the limbs, tension or relaxation of the whole body, change in the color of the face, size of the pupils); the duration of the attack; features of behavior before and after the attack; possible trigger factors; time of day at which an attack occurs.
The doctor should also clearly explain to the relatives of the patient the need for additional research methods. Of these, to exclude or confirm the diagnosis of “epilepsy”, it is first necessary to conduct electroencephalography, which is a safe and affordable method for recording the bioelectric activity of the cerebral cortex. Due to its safety and painlessness, the EEG can be recorded repeatedly and as often as recommended by the doctor. Neuroimaging studies (computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the brain) are performed to search for structural changes in the brain (malformation, tumor, trauma) that can cause epileptic seizures. If the diagnosis of “epilepsy” is established, the patient’s relatives, especially if the child is sick, have a large number of questions that the attending physician must answer.