Reflex anoxic seizures
Hands up if you’ve heard of it before?
No nor had I until my boys. These seizures are explained as child hood seizures, triggered by pain, high emotions and general upset. These are often confused with breath holding syndrome. Breathe holding the child will turn red and sometimes faint due to holding their breath.
With reflex anoxic seizures, the child turns white….deathly white, their lips go blue, eyes will darken. They fall no matter where they are and will pass out. The passing out is triggered by their heart stopping. With these seizures the body will shock the heart into restarting within 49 seconds, but the child (rarely adult!) can be in a state of unconsciousness a little longer and will require sleep to help recover.
My first boy started having these at just 6 months old, continued until the age of 3….after 3 they became few and far between. These can be diagnosed at a hospital and they will follow with an ecg. Please see the link for more detail..
http://www.heartrhythmalliance.org/stars/uk/reflex-anoxic-seizures-ras
Below is a video of a child having a reflex anoxic seizure, viewers beware it is distressing to watch
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If your child has a blue breath-holding spell or reflex anoxic seizure, you should:
- stay calm – it should pass in less than a minute.
- lie them on their side – don’t pick them up.
- keep an eye on them until the spell ends.