Parents, has your child ever experienced a step? Seizures and losing control of themselves for a moment often cause their own worries and panic. So what causes it?
Usually, seizures in children occur when they have a high fever . Therefore, this condition needs to be anticipated so thatParentsnot confused when facing it.
What is Step?
Step is a seizure that occurs in children caused by fever. Usually, it does not last long and is also not dangerous for the child. Most children who experience it will recover quickly and will not get long-term effects or complications. However, about 2.5% to 5% of children who experience seizures due to fever will develop epilepsy .
Step usually occurs in a specific age range, namely in babies 6 months and children up to 5 years. This condition is most common between the ages of 12 and 18 months. Usually this is not dangerous, but if you are worried immediately visit the nearest hospital or contact a doctor to find out what action to take immediately.
Step Symptoms
Usually, this febrile seizure lasts less than 5 minutes. When this condition strikes, your child may show symptoms such as:
- High fever over 38 degrees Celsius
- Body suddenly stiff
- Arms and legs begin to twitch
- Loss of consciousness
- It could be that you defecate on your own
- Mouth foaming
- Eyeballs roll back
After a seizure, your child may feel sleepy for up to an hour. Usually a seizure will only happen once during your child’s illness.
Sometimes, these seizures can last longer than 15 minutes and the symptoms may only affect one area of your child’s body. This is known as a complex febrile seizure. These seizures will then occur again within 24 hours or during the period in which your child is sick.
Cause of Step
The exact cause of step is unknown, but most cases are associated with a high temperature (fever). There may also be a genetic link to febrile seizures, as the likelihood of step increases if close family members have a history of it.
In most cases, a child’s high temperature is caused by an infection. Common examples are chicken pox , flu, middle ear infection or tonsillitis. In very rare cases, seizures can occur after a child has been immunized.
First Aid for Children Step
Parents, to avoid panic when facing this situation, make sure you understand what to do. Here are some initial actions that can be taken when the child is step:
Take to the doctor immediately
If this is the first time your child has had a seizure, the best way to deal with it is to immediately take him to the nearest hospital or clinic. Your child needs immediate medical attention to make sure that what he is experiencing is not a type of seizure that occurs due to a severe infection such as meningitis or encephalitis which can be life-threatening.
Stay calm
If your child has a history of seizures, your doctor can guide you on what to do to treat them at home. First, make sure you stay calm. Seeing your child having a seizure can be very scary, but it’s important to stay as calm as possible. This will help you better care for your child.
Monitor Seizure Duration
Pay attention to how long your child’s seizure lasts. If it lasts for five minutes or more and doesn’t slow down or stop, call 911 or an ambulance to get treatment as soon as possible.
Lay on the Floor
Slowly and gently place your child with a step on the floor. Do not let your child be on a bed or table, as they may fall. Also, do not try to hold or restrain them, as this can increase the risk of injury.
Position Your Child Properly
Place the child in the rescue position by laying the child on their left side with their lower arm extended straight out, so it acts as a pillow for their head. This helps prevent choking from fluids (saliva or vomit) entering their lungs.
Keep Away from Dangerous Objects
Steps make children’s movements uncontrolled, so as much as possible keep dangerous objects away from their surroundings. For example, objects that have sharp edges, have the potential to fall and hit them, and so on.
Loosen Clothes
A child who is having a seizure may have difficulty breathing. If he is wearing clothes or pants that are too tight, try loosening his clothes. This may make it more comfortable for him to breathe.
Things Not to Do
Here are some things you should not do when your child has a seizure:
Handling the First Step at Home
The first thing that parents should do when their child is having a seizure is to stay calm and not panic. However, it does not mean that if this is the first time your child has had a seizure, you should handle it yourself at home. Take your child to the doctor immediately because you need to know the cause and condition of your child.
Putting Something in a Child’s Mouth
There is a misconception about putting certain objects into a child’s mouth when he is having a seizure, such as spoons, cloths or even medicines. This should be avoided because it has the potential to injure the child by biting his own tongue or choking .
Holding or Carrying a Child Having a Seizure
When your child is stepping, you should not hold or lap him. His unpredictable and even strong movements can potentially cause him to fall or slip from your grip. It is better to place your child on a safe surface, such as the floor, so that he will not roll or fall.
Step Child Care
Usually, this condition does not require special treatment. Step rarely lasts more than a few minutes. Children will recover quickly as usual without the need for medical treatment.
If you want to give your child medicine, parents can give medicine to reduce their fever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin), but this does not prevent the occurrence of steps.
While more complex step conditions may require special treatment. For children who tend to have prolonged seizures, rectal diazepam (Diastat) is usually prescribed by a doctor to be used at home. This is usually used in cases of seizures that last longer than five minutes or if the child has more than one step in 24 hours.
There is almost no daily medication that must be taken to prevent the onset of step. In most cases, this is not necessary. Because step usually comes with a fever, the main effort is to reduce the child’s fever.
Can Step Cause Permanent Effects on Children?
Simple steps are usually harmless. Researchers have found no evidence of long-term harm from febrile seizures. There is also little evidence that steps increase the risk of developing epilepsy.
More complex step conditions are often associated with an increased chance of future seizure disorders. According to existing research, between 2.5% and 5% of children with complex seizures will develop epilepsy. However, most children who experience complex seizures do not have long-term effects.
Children who have had one seizure have a higher chance of having another febrile seizure in the future. The risk of a child having a second seizure is about 1 in 3.
About 10% of children who experience one step will experience three or more during their childhood. The risk is highest in children who experience seizures before the age of 1 year.
Risk Factors
Factors that increase the risk of febrile seizures or seizures in children include:
– Young age. Most step disease occurs in children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, with the greatest risk between the ages of 12 and 18 months.
– Family history. Some children inherit a family tendency to have febrile seizures. In addition, researchers have linked several genes to susceptibility to step disease.
It is therefore said that the risk of recurrent steps is higher for children who:
- Still young (less than 15 months)
- Frequent fever
- Having a parent or sibling who has seizures or epilepsy
- Having a short time between the onset of fever and seizures
- Having a mild fever before the seizure
Complications
As we know that febrile seizures have been linked to an increased risk of epilepsy. Many parents worry that if their child has had one or more, they will develop epilepsy when they grow up.
Epilepsy itself is a condition where someone experiences repeated seizures without fever. And it is true that children who have a history of step have an increased risk of developing epilepsy, but it must be emphasized that the risk is still small.
It is estimated that children with a history of simple febrile seizures have a 1 in 50 chance of developing epilepsy later in life. Meanwhile, children with a history of complex febrile seizures have a 1 in 20 chance of developing epilepsy later in life.
Meanwhile, people who do not experience steps have around a 1 to 2 in 100 chance of getting the disease.
Prevention
In many cases, treatment to prevent future febrile seizures is not recommended. This is because this type of disease occurs unexpectedly and usually cannot be prevented. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, there are two ways that you can do, namely:
– Giving your child medicines
Giving your baby or child acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) at the start of a fever may make them more comfortable, but it won’t prevent seizures.
Be careful when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Although the drug is approved for use in children older than 3 years, those recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should not take aspirin.
That’s because aspirin has been linked to Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition in these children.
– Provide prescriptions for preventive medications
Very rarely, prescription anti-seizure medications are used to try to prevent seizures. However, these medications can have serious side effects that may outweigh their benefits.
Typically, rectal Diazepam (Diastat) or nasal midazolam is prescribed for use as needed in children who are prone to prolonged febrile seizures. These medications are usually used to treat seizures that last longer than five minutes or if the child has more than one in 24 hours.
They are not usually used to prevent steps. Keep in mind, you should consult a doctor first before giving any medication to your little one.
Popular Questions Related to Step
1. Why is the child a stepchild?
Step is a seizure or convulsion that occurs in young children and is triggered by fever. Fever itself can accompany common childhood illnesses such as colds, flu, or other infections.
In some cases, a child may not have a fever at the time of the seizure and only develop one several hours later.
2. What should be done when a child has measles?
Most febrile seizures will stop on their own within a few minutes. If your child is having one, stay calm and follow these steps:
– Place your child on his or her side on a soft, flat surface, where he or she will not fall.
– Start timing the seizure and monitor its movements.
– Remove any hard or sharp objects near your child.
– Loosen your little one’s clothes.
– Do not put anything in your child’s mouth.
– Then, immediately contact medical help if your little one experiences steps for more than five minutes.
3. What is a step child like?
Usually, children who experience febrile seizures will shake and lose consciousness. And sometimes, they become very stiff or twitch in only one area of the body.
4. What are the impacts of step disease?
Simple steps are usually harmless. According to the Cleveland Clinic, researchers found no evidence of long-term harm such as epilepsy risk from simple steps. Meanwhile, complex febrile seizures were associated with a small increase in the likelihood of future seizure disorders.
According to existing research, between 2.5 and 5 percent of children with complex steps will develop epilepsy. However, most children do not have long-term effects.
5. What is the baby’s temperature?
Steps most often occur on the first day of illness as a child’s body warms up. They are likely to have a fever of at least 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
6. What is the difference between a step and a seizure?
Steps are seizures that can occur when a child has a fever. They most often occur between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. Seeing your child have a seizure can be frightening and distressing, especially if it is their first time.
That’s the information about the steps that Parents need to know, starting from how to handle it to its treatment. Hopefully useful.
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Republished with permission from theAsianParent Indonesia
