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Absence SeizureAka: Petit Mal Seizure, Minor Seizure

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  1. Epidemiology
    1. Almost exclusively occurs between age 5 and 18
    2. Rare before age 2 years or after adolescence
  2. Causes
    1. Inherited idiopathic Seizure disorder
    2. Secondary Seizure disorder
      1. Vascular malformation
      2. Infectious disease
      3. Neoplasm
      4. Toxic brain disease
  3. Symptoms and Signs
    1. Vacant, dazed facial expression
      1. Staring
      2. Impaired Consciousness
      3. Pallor
    2. Timing of episodes
      1. Occur Multiple times per day
      2. Brief interruption of current activity
      3. Short spells last 10 seconds
    3. Rhythmic activity
      1. Eye blinking
      2. Head movement
    4. Autonomic symptoms
      1. Incontinence of urine or stool
      2. Loss of postural control
    5. Unusual postictal activity
      1. Picking at clothes
      2. Pursing lips
  4. Differential Diagnosis
    1. Complex Partial Seizure
    2. Daydreaming
    3. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  5. Diagnosis: Electroencephalogram
    1. Bilateral, synchronous and symmetric pattern
    2. Three hertz wave-spike dysrhythmia over Frontal Lobe
  6. Course
    1. Most patients will cease absence Seizures by age 20
      1. Absence Seizures began in childhood
      2. Seizures not due to secondary cause
    2. Untreated absence Seizures progress in 33% of patients
      1. Generalized Tonic Clonic Seizure
  7. Management: Prophylaxis
    1. Ethosuximide
    2. Valproic Acid
    3. Clonazepam

Absence Epilepsy (C0014553)

Definition (MSH)A childhood seizure disorder characterized by rhythmic electrical brain discharges of generalized onset. Clinical features include a sudden cessation of ongoing activity usually without loss of postural tone. Rhythmic blinking of the eyelids or lip smacking frequently accompanies the SEIZURES. The usual duration is 5-10 seconds, and multiple episodes may occur daily. Juvenile absence epilepsy is characterized by the juvenile onset of absence seizures and an increased incidence of myoclonus and tonic-clonic seizures. (Menkes, Textbook of Child Neurology, 5th ed, p736)
Definition (NCI)Epilepsy characterized by absence seizures.
Definition (NCI)The seizure seen in absence epilepsy, consisting of a sudden momentary break in consciousness of thought or activity, often accompanied by automatisms or clonic movements, especially of the eyelids.
Definition (NCI)Generalized seizure that manifests in a form of a brief episode of impairment of consciousness with or without accompanying motor phenomena such as clonic-tonic components, automatisms, or autonomic components.
ConceptsDisease or Syndrome (T047)
ICD9345.0
MSHD004832
EnglishAbsence Epilepsy, ABSENCE SEIZURE, ABSENCE SEIZURE DIS, Absence Seizure Disorder, Absence Seizure Disorders, Absence seizures, Childhood - juvenile - absence epilepsy, Childhood Absence Epilepsies, Childhood absence epilepsy, CONVULSION PETIT MAL, EPILEPSY IDIOPATHIC PETIT MAL, EPILEPSY PETIT MAL, JAE, Juvenile Absence Epilepsies, Juvenile absence epilepsy, Minor Epilepsies, Minor Epilepsy, Petit mal, PETIT MAL CONVULSION, Petit Mal Epilepsies, PETIT MAL EPILEPSY, petit mal seizure, Petit-mal epilepsy, Petit-Mal Seizure, Petit-mal seizures, Pykno Epilepsy, Pykno-Epilepsies, Pykno-Epilepsy, PYKNOEPILEPSY, Pyknolepsies, Pyknolepsy, SEIZURE DIS ABSENCE
Spanishausencia, ausencias, convulsiones de ausencia, crisis de ausencia, epilepsia de ausencia en la ninez, epilepsia juvenil con ausencias, pequeno mal, petit mal
Parent ConceptsEpilepsy, Generalized (C0014548), Epilepsy (C0014544), Seizures (C0036572), Generalized seizures (C0234533), Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (C0270850), Reason not stated concept (C1276325), Duplicate concept (C1274013)
SourcesCOSTAR, CSP, CST, DXP, MSH, MTH, MTHICD9, NCI, NDFRT, OMIM, QMR, SCTSPA, SNOMEDCT
Derived from the NIH UMLS (Unified Medical Language System)



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