Of all patients diagnosed with epilepsy, just under 10% suffer from petit mal epilepsy. This is a form of epilepsy in which one does not experience seizures with convulsions, but only with absences or disappearances. One can then stare into space for a few seconds while appearing completely lost in the world. After an attack, people usually resume normal activities as if nothing had happened. The condition occurs most often in children between the ages of 6 and 12, and many outgrow the condition. However, in some patients the condition persists and must be controlled with medication.

Epilepsy petit mal

• About epilepsy
• Types of epileptic seizures
• Epilepsy petit mal
• Cause
• Triggers of attacks
• Treatment with medication

About epilepsy

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that can cause seizures. When people think of epilepsy, many people think of the violent seizures that people with this condition can have, in which a person falls to the ground, rolls their eyes, jerks violently back and forth and foams at the mouth or bites their tongue. This is also called convulsion or grand mal . However, epilepsy comes in different forms and is a collective name for a condition in which a kind of short circuit occurs in one of the many networks in the brain. While such an attack may lead to violent shaking back and forth in one person, in another it has a completely different manifestation. For example, an epileptic attack can also consist of making strange movements, smelling a strange odor, loss of consciousness without movements or ‘disappearing’ without actually falling over.

Types of epileptic seizures

The types of seizures in epilepsy are generally divided into four types:

• Partial seizures : disruption of stimulus transmission in one part of the brain
• Generalized seizures : disturbances in stimulus transmission throughout the brain
• Status epilepticus : seizure that lasts longer than 10 minutes and can only be stopped with medical intervention
• Non-epileptic seizures : seizures that are the result of epilepsy but are not classified as epileptic seizures such as cardiac arrhythmias, muscle jerks, hyperventilation and fainting (syncope)

Epilepsy petit mal

Of all patients diagnosed with epilepsy, only slightly less than 10% suffer from what is also called epilepsy petit mal . Petit mal epilepsy is when a person does not have seizures with convulsions but only experiences absences . During an absence, one stares into space for between 3 and 30 seconds and appears to have ‘lost it’. After such an absence, a person usually resumes normal activities as if nothing had happened. Absences may be accompanied by some movements, jerks or eye contractions, but these are very subtle. Because the muscle tension remains unchanged, absence is usually not accompanied by accidents. However, information to which a patient is exposed during an absence may completely escape him or her. It is also possible that someone suddenly stops talking in the middle of a story.How often an absence occurs in someone who suffers from petit mal epilepsy varies greatly. Some people only suffer from it very occasionally , while others experience dozens of absences per day. The attacks mainly occur when sitting or lying quietly and almost never during physical exertion. In children, attacks can therefore go unnoticed for a long time. It only rings a bell when it becomes apparent that many things have completely escaped their attention. Petit mal epilepsy most often occurs in children between the ages of 6 and 12, but it also occurs in adults. Girls or women suffer from it twice as often as boys or men. Petit mal epilepsy is rare after the age of 20, but there are people who suffer from it for the rest of their lives. People who do not ‘grow out of it’ have the chance to occasionally experience agrand mal , or an attack that is also accompanied by loss of consciousness and convulsions.

Cause

As is the case with many other forms of epilepsy, no cause is often found for petit mal epilepsy. Sometimes epilepsy is the result of a vascular malformation or brain trauma or hereditary factors play a role. However, in at least seven out of ten patients who are examined by EEG (electroencephalogram) or MRI research, the cause remains unknown. However, it is quite possible that the abnormality causing the attacks is so small that it is simply not noticeable. A disorder in one of the networks in the brain cannot be demonstrated in this way in any case. The diagnosis is therefore usually made on the basis of the external characteristics of the attacks.

Triggers of attacks

While the cause of the epileptic condition is often not found, it is often possible to indicate what causes the seizures. They are also referred to as triggers or provokers. Once one knows what can trigger the attacks, a large number of attacks can often be prevented by avoiding these triggers. Common triggers for epilepsy include:

• Strong emotions and stress
• Sleep deprivation
• Drug and alcohol use
• Hormonal fluctuations
• Temperature changes (in case of fever)
• Exposure to flashes of light

Triggers play a role less often in people with petit mal epilepsy than in other forms of epilepsy. However, some patients know from experience that certain situations increase the chance of a breakdown.

Treatment with medication

Petit mal epilepsy can be easily controlled with medication. By using anti-epileptic or anti-convulsant drugs, the manifestations of the condition can be prevented or minimized in 90% of patients. Unfortunately, medication can lead to side effects such as drowsiness and dizziness, which may result in restrictions when driving. Commonly prescribed drugs include Diphantoin, Zarontine, Lamictal, Depakine, Stavzor, Rivotril and Tegretol.