Absence seizures in children
What will happen to my child?
Most children grow out of absence seizures.
About 9 in 10 children who get absence seizures grow out of them by the time they are 12.
1 But a few children continue to have them as adults.
1
2
Source:
Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.
Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.
In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.
Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.
In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
Source:
Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.
Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.
In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.
Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.
In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
Source:
Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.
Childhood absence epilepsy.
In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.
Childhood absence epilepsy.
In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
About 1 in 10 children start to get generalized tonic clonic seizures as they get older.
1 These seizures make you fall and pass out. Children who get this type of seizure stop having absence seizures, and they have
generalized tonic clonic seizures only rarely. To learn more, see our articles on Epilepsy.
Source:
Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.
Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.
In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.
Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.
In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
Drug treatments for absence seizures work well.
1
2
3 And most children do not need to take epilepsy medications for the rest of their life. If your child stops having seizures
after taking an epilepsy medication for a while, your doctor might stop the treatment gradually to see if the seizures come
back.
2
3
Source:
Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.
Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.
In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.
Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.
In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
Source:
Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.
Childhood absence epilepsy.
In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.
Childhood absence epilepsy.
In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
Source:
Panayiotopoulos CP.
Typical absence seizures and their treatment in children.
Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1999; 81: 351-355.
Panayiotopoulos CP.
Typical absence seizures and their treatment in children.
Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1999; 81: 351-355.
Source:
Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.
Childhood absence epilepsy.
In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.
Childhood absence epilepsy.
In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
Source:
Panayiotopoulos CP.
Typical absence seizures and their treatment in children.
Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1999; 81: 351-355.
Panayiotopoulos CP.
Typical absence seizures and their treatment in children.
Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1999; 81: 351-355.
About one-third of children with childhood absence epilepsy have a problem with learning or behavior. This might be because
they don't know what's going on while they have absence seizures. Or it might be because their epilepsy medication makes them
drowsy or slows down their thinking.
2
Source:
Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.
Childhood absence epilepsy.
In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.
Childhood absence epilepsy.
In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
Sources for the information on this page:
- Arzimanoglou A, Guerrini R, Aicardi J.Epilepsies with typical absence seizures.In: Aicardi's epilepsy in children (3rd edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2003.
- Michelucchi R, Tassinari CA.Childhood absence epilepsy.In: Wallace S (editor). Epilepsy in children. Arnold, London, UK; 2004.
- Panayiotopoulos CP.Typical absence seizures and their treatment in children.Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1999; 81: 351-355.
This information was last updated on Feb 05, 2009
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.
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