According to Health Line, approximately 150,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy each year. Many assume that there is only one type of epilepsy that features one set of symptoms. However, this couldn't be further from the truth because there are several different types of epilepsy, including juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. If your child was recently diagnosed with this common form of the disease, chances are you have several questions. Here are a few frequently asked questions about juvenile myoclonic epilepsy:
What Exactly is Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy?
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, JME, is one of the most common types of epilepsy. Like many other types of epilepsy, JME does have genetic components. It wouldn't be surprising if you had another close family member, such as a cousin, sibling, or parent, that also suffers from JME. Children diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsies will suffer from three different types of seizures: myoclonic seizures, tonic colonic seizures, and absence seizures.
What Are the Symptoms of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy?
Typically, a child that is later diagnosed with JME will first begin experiencing myoclonic seizures, which are jerking motions that occur in the upper body. These seizures almost always occur within the first few minutes that the child wakes up. Myoclonic seizures are also triggered by sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and stress.
If your child suffers several myoclonic seizures during the daytime, this is a sign your child is extremely tired or has missed their medication.
Additionally, it's not uncommon for a child to experience a tonic-clonic seizure after a bout of myoclonic seizures. Tonic-clonic seizures happen in stages. First, your child's muscles will become rigid and they will make a groaning noise. Your child will also fall down and lose consciousness during this stage. Next, during the clonic stage, your child's legs and arms will begin to jerk continuously, and they will sometimes lose control of the bladder.
At this point, your child will begin to wake up and feel confused and agitated. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, the majority of tonic-clonic seizures last for one to three minutes. If a seizure lasts more than 10 minutes and if your child has three or more consecutive seizures, this is a sign of a more serious illness called convulsive status epilepticus. If this condition occurs, call 9-1-1 immediately.
Finally, children with JME will often also suffer from absence seizures, otherwise known as staring spells. During these seizures, your child will stare into space for several minutes while moving their lips or make a chewing motion.
What Are the Potential Treatment Options Available?
In order to diagnose JME, your doctor will ask about your child's symptoms and perform a battery of tests, including an electroencephalogram (EEG) or a computed tomography. After your child is diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, there are a number of treatment options available, including simple lifestyle changes.
Because JME symptoms are often triggered by stress or sleep deprivation, the best think you can do for your child is ensure they get plenty of sleep and reduce their levels of stress. Additionally, there are several medications that your doctor may prescribe to help lessen the amount of seizures your child suffers from.
These include valporic acid, levetiracetam, and clonazepam. As your child grows and their symptoms change, your doctor may prescribe a different course of medications. However, as a parent, the best thing you can do as a parent is to ensure they don't suffer from myoclonic seizures during the daytime, which once again is accomplished by making sure they are well-rested.
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is a common form of this life-altering disease. If your child was recently diagnosed with JME, don't hesitate to contact your doctor if you have any further questions. You may also want to consider a seizure dog for your child. Check out a site like Seizuredog.co for more information.
