Disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor or medical practitioner of any kind. This information is what I have gleaned from reading. Please consult your doctor regarding medical issues.
Infantile spasms is a seizure disorder of early infancy. Most cases manifest between 4-6 months of age. Children are generally diagnosed with infantile spasms if they show a triad of symptoms:
The outcome in a case of infantile spasms depends on a lot of factors. There is no really good indication of how a child will do. However, some favorable factors include:
In the cryptogenic catagory, the odds for a good outcome (normal or near-normal intelligence) are about 40%. The children in the symptomatic catagory fare much worse. In all, 95% of children with infantile spasms are retarded. There are also many associated physical and speech problems. Sleeping problems are also common.
Myoclonic seizures are notoriously difficult to control. ACTH is one drug used. The ketogenic diet is an option to consider.
A good book on inantile spasms is: Infantile Spasms and West's Syndrome by Oliver Dulac, Harry T.Chugani and Bernard Dalla Bernard.
Return to Eliana's story
An excellent article written by a neurologist explaining infantile spasms in more depth (this appears in Raven's Story One of the stories of children with infantile spasms on the MISC homepage).