the most common age for a spell is between 12 and 18 months old. note: these spells are not done on purpose by the child. syncope is a loss of consciousness, or fainting. for instance, a trivial trauma might look like a bump to the head or a fall on the sofa cushion. consciousness requires a steady flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. a decrease in heart rate can lead to a reduction in blood and oxygen supply to the brain. a detailed history of the event and the provoking triggers is enough to make a clinical diagnosis.
this occurs due to a decrease in the blood and oxygen supply to the brain during a spell. this can happen if there are atypical features of the spell, or if a cardiac condition is suspected. a pacemaker is used when the spells involve: the use of antiseizure medications is almost never recommended for breath-holding spells. this is true even in cases where the child shows brief convulsive movements during a spell. again, this is due to an “overactive” vagus nerve. the information in the cnf child neurology disorder directory is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice and should not be considered a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional. reach out to receive emotional support and practical help from a caregiver who has lived through a similar experience and is trained to provide support.
the frequency with which infants and young children have breath-holding spells is quite variable. cyanotic spells are the most common, and the autonomic dysregulation is thought to lead to inhibition of respiratory effort. bhs have also been reported to occur with increased frequency in children with familial dysautonomia and rett syndrome, but they would not be the sole manifestation of these disorders. a detailed review of the need for a meticulous history is introduced in this chapter. breath-holding spells, although generally benign and self-limited, can often be incorrectly suspected of being a seizure due to the common occurrence of cyanosis and myoclonic jerking.
when the cause of the patient’s symptoms is unclear, evaluation for both syncope and seizure is required. two-thirds have cyanotic or blue breath-holding spells, 20% have pallid breath-holding spells, and the remainder has a mixture of the two. the most common neurologic disorder associated with altes is seizure, with a rate of up to 25%. in severe cases, patients with cchs can present similarly to patients with cyanotic heart disease, with cyanosis, edema, and signs of right heart failure. diagnosis may be difficult to make without the input of a neurologist.
summary. breath-holding spells are short spells of time during which a child stops breathing. they are commonly mistaken for seizures. a breath holding spell is when a child holds their breath, usually after being angry, frustrated, startled, or in pain. sometimes the breath holding leads to variously called pallid breath-holding spells, white syncope, reflex anoxic seizures, and toddler syncope, there is a well-recognized, generally stereotypical, related symptoms, related symptoms, reflex anoxic seizures vs breath-holding spells, breath-holding seizures adults, cyanotic breath-holding.
children with breath-holding spells do not have epilepsy. as breath-holding spells may look like epileptic seizures, the 2 are often confused. breath-holding spells happen after your child has been frustrated, startled or hurt. children with epilepsy have seizures without any of these things happening beforehand. serious complications of breath holding spells are rare, but cases of sudden death, prolonged asystole, and status epilepticus have been reported. a detailed history and exam are important to diagnose theses spells and help distinguish from epileptic seizures and other causes of syncope. breath-holding spells most often occur when a child becomes suddenly upset or surprised. the child makes a short gasp, exhales, and stops breathing. the child’s despite eeg changes associated with hypoxia, children who have breath-holding spells are not at risk for central nervous system sequelae. nor pale spells (pallid breath holding) these are less common. they can happen in young children after a minor injury or if the child is upset. pale spells are, can breath-holding spells cause brain damage, breath-holding spells treatment in child, toddler holding breath before exhaling, toddler holding breath and grunting, breath-holding spells symptoms, breath-holding spells – pediatrics, how to prevent breath-holding spells in infants, breath-holding spells causes, breath-holding spells in infants, breath-holding spells in newborn.
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