Today marks the beginning of Infantile Spasms Awareness Week.
Infantile Spasms are a rare but serious type of seizure that typically occur in infants aged 3-7 months - but can present at any stage during the first 2 years of life. The spasms are quite often subtle and can often be overlooked or misdiagnosed.
However, if Infantile Spasms continue to be overlooked and go untreated, it can lead to permanent damage to a child’s developing brain.
Infantile Spasms Awareness Week aims to raise awareness of this rare type of seizure amongst new parents – as it is imperative that they know the signs to help prevent a child from being permanently damaged by the spasms.
Epilepsy Ireland are joinig with our colleagues across the globe and appealing to new parents to please take the time to learn more about Infantile Spasms this week and to visit the Infantile Spasms section of our website for further information.
Remember the key word of STOP:
- See the signs
- Take a video
- Obtain diagnosis
- Prioritise treatment.
The video below gives an insight as to how Infantile Spasms can appear in children:
If you suspect your child is experiencing Infantile Spasms, do not delay and contact your medical team immediately.
As we seek to create greater awareness of Infantile Spasms in Ireland, we would appreciate if our members, supporters & volunteers could share this information with any new parents that they may know.
Further Information
Infantile Spasms Section - www.epilepsy.ie/content/infantile-spasms
Infantile Spasms Network - https://infantilespasms.org