Common questions

Do seizures in infants cause brain damage?

Do seizures in infants cause brain damage?

Seizure activity in an infant must be diagnosed and treated immediately because seizures can cause nerve cell injury and kill brain cells. Seizures may also adversely alter brain function in other ways like rewiring brain circuitry. The longer a seizure lasts, the more damage it does to the brain.

Can seizures cause brain scarring?

Scar tissue can form within the hippocampus and amygdala, areas in the brain that govern short-term memory and emotions. A person with this condition can develop a form of temporal lobe epilepsy with partial (focal) seizures that can spread and affect other areas of the brain.

Can seizures cause permanent brain damage?

However, experiencing a prolonged seizure can cause injury. These types of seizures are called status epilepticus. Permanent neurological damage can happen after about 30 minutes of status epilepticus due to prolonged abnormal electrical activity in the affected area of the brain.

Can brain damage in babies heal?

An infant cannot be expected to fully recover from severe brain damage. A severe infant brain injury may result in symptoms including seizures, extreme cognitive and/or developmental disabilities, and inflammation in the skull.

Do infants outgrow seizures?

Will my child outgrow seizures? Many children outgrow their seizures. A child is more likely to outgrow his seizures if he has a normal EEG, normal MRI, normal development, no other neurological problems, and the seizures are controlled easily with medication.

Can scarring on the brain heal?

No, you cannot heal a damaged brain. Medical treatments can just help to stop further damage and limit the functional loss from the damage. The healing process of the brain is not the same as the skin. When the skin gets damaged, such as due to minor skin wounds, it usually heals wells without leaving scars.

What causes scar tissue on brain?

Brain lesions can be caused by injury, infection, exposure to certain chemicals, problems with the immune system, and more. Typically, their cause is unknown.

Do seizures destroy brain cells?

Severe and repetitive seizures such as status epilepticus do kill brain cells (neurons). Isolated, brief seizures may also result in the death of specific brain cells in certain forms of epilepsy.

Can a baby survive a brain bleed?

The prognosis varies depending on the severity and location of the bleed. Some infants do very well with little or no residual effects. More severe bleeds can result in mental and physical impairments such as developmental delays, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy (CP).

Can a child outgrow focal seizures?

Author Image
Ruth Doyle