Childhood Absence Epilepsy
On this Page
- What is Childhood Absence Epilepsy?
- How do you get CAE?
- What are the symptoms?
- How is it diagnosed?
- What is the expected outcome?
- Will anyone else in the family get CAE?
- What is the treatment?
- How will my family’s life be changed?
- My child wants to go to sleepovers with friends, but does not sleep well and has more absence seizures the next day, despite medication. Is this common?
- My child has been seizure-free for over a year, then had a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. She is on medication and her blood level was good shortly before the seizure. Why did this happen?
- Every time my child gets a fever she seems to have more seizures. Why?
- Resources
Answers to questions families often have about caring
for their child with childhood absence epilepsy
What is Childhood Absence Epilepsy?
Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is a form of epilepsy that is
characterized by absence seizures and, in 10% of cases, generalized tonic-clonic
seizures. Absence seizures start between 4 and 10 years of age with the peak age at
6 to 7 years. Children may grow out of absence seizures.
Absence seizures are just one type of seizure. They are very short and
often go unnoticed. With an absence seizure, your child may seem to be staring or
not paying attention, and they will not respond to you. Seizures can happen many
times a day.
How do you get CAE?
CAE is usually related to a genetic abnormality and can be associated with
other types of seizures. In general, seizures are caused by abnormal electrical
impulses in the brain.
What are the symptoms?
With absence seizures, it may not look like your child is having a
seizure; it may look like they are daydreaming. It can be hard to tell that your
child is having a seizure. Characteristics of an absence seizure are:
- The child stares, sometimes blinks, eyes may start to roll back, eyes flutter
- The seizure lasts 2-20 seconds, but usually less than 10 seconds
- The seizure abruptly interrupts activity (such as drinking from cup, playing)
- The child isn't aware of surroundings, such as being called by name
- The child has many a day, sometimes up to 100/day
- The child has no warning; the seizures start and end suddenly
- The seizures may include lip puckering or lip smacking
How is it diagnosed?
CAE is diagnosed by a doctor based on the description of the seizure and
confirmed by findings on an electroencephalogram (EEG). An EEG looks for abnormal
electrical discharges in the brain that may signal seizure activity. Absence
seizures have a typical pattern on an EEG. If you think your child is having
seizures, it is a good idea to take a video recording of a suspected absence seizure
to show the doctor.
What is the expected outcome?
Most children with CAE stop having seizures in their teenage years; good
signs that this may happen are an earlier age at onset and absence seizures as the
only seizure type (no generalized tonic-clonic seizures). The risk of having another
seizure after stopping medication is 16% after two years. About 10% of children with
absence seizures will also have a grand-mal seizure.
For school-aged children with CAE, warning signs and treatment should be
included in their health care plan at school, and staff should be trained
accordingly. While some children with CAE may need a 504 plan (see 504 Plan), most will
not need school services other than observation to make sure that absence seizures
are not happening more than usual or affecting learning or self-confidence, and that
parents are aware of any developing problems. People with CAE are able to live full
lives.
Will anyone else in the family get CAE?
Although CAE may be inherited, the genetics are complex and there may be
no one else in the family with CAE. A family member has a slightly higher risk of
having seizures of various types compared to someone in the general population.
What is the treatment?
Several medications are available to treat CAE (see Childhood Absence Epilepsy). A neurologist will
often help guide treatment for this condition.
Children with CAE usually stop having seizures with medication, and
medication can usually be stopped after two years of being seizure free. However,
children with CAE have a higher risk than children in the general population of
having learning, mood, and behavior disorders. These should be diagnosed and treated
promptly.
How will my family’s life be changed?
You will need to pay attention and notice when your child is having a
seizure. Family members and other people who are close to your child will need to be
aware of seizure activity. They should know what to do when your child has a
seizure, including how to respond and when to call emergency services (very rarely
needed). Be aware that when your child has a seizure, you need to help them stay
safe, such as by preventing falls and moving things out of the way. While seizures
should be noticed, they will not affect the daily living of the child and family
members.
My child wants to go to sleepovers with friends, but does not sleep well and has more absence seizures the next day, despite medication. Is this common?
Yes, a lot of families have noticed this. You might want to discuss sleep
hygiene with your medical home doctor or neurologist to optimize sleep when he isn’t
on sleepovers, and then work with your child and the family he would visit for the
sleepover to see if you could work out a overnight visit with enough
sleep.
My child has been seizure-free for over a year, then had a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. She is on medication and her blood level was good shortly before the seizure. Why did this happen?
Medications for absence seizures usually do not prevent generalized
tonic-clonic seizures which can happen in children with absence epilepsy. You should
let your medical home provider or neurologist, depending on your child’s seizure
plan, know about the new seizure type and they might recommend starting another
medication.
Every time my child gets a fever she seems to have more seizures. Why?
Fevers and illness in general tend to lower seizure threshold in children
with epilepsy which can lead to a breakthrough seizure. Breakthrough seizures can be
different from past seizures and should be discussed with your medical home doctor
or neurologist who may recommend increasing the medication dose or changing the
medication.
Resources
Information & Support
Related Portal Content
Childhood Absence Epilepsy
Assessment and management information for the primary care clinician caring for the child with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE).
Care Notebook
Medical information in one place with fillable templates to help both families and providers. Choose only the pages needed to keep track of the current health care summary, care team, care plan, health coverage, expenses, scheduling, and legal documents. Available in English and Spanish.
Childhood Absence Epilepsy
Assessment and management information for the primary care clinician caring for the child with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE).
Care Notebook
Medical information in one place with fillable templates to help both families and providers. Choose only the pages needed to keep track of the current health care summary, care team, care plan, health coverage, expenses, scheduling, and legal documents. Available in English and Spanish.
For Parents and Patients
Childhood Absence Epilepsy (Epilepsy Foundation)
National organization with local chapters that provides information and support.
Services for Patients & Families in Utah (UT)
Service Categories | # of providers* in: | UT | NW | Other states (4) (show) | | NM | NV | OH | RI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Electroencephalography (EEG) | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Pediatric Neurology | 7 | 5 | 5 | 17 |
For services not listed above, browse our Services categories or search our database.
* number of provider listings may vary by how states categorize services, whether providers are listed by organization or individual, how services are organized in the state, and other factors; Nationwide (NW) providers are generally limited to web-based services, provider locator services, and organizations that serve children from across the nation.
Authors & Reviewers
Initial publication: March 2012; last update/revision: August 2019
Current Authors and Reviewers:
Author: | Lynne M. Kerr, MD, PhD |
Reviewer: | Jodi Hansen |
Funding:
The Medical Home Portal thanks the 2011-2012 URLEND Medical Home Portal trainees group for their contribution to this page.
Authoring history
2015: revision: Denise Morita, MDR |
2012: first version: URLEND Trainees, 2011-2012CA |
AAuthor;
CAContributing Author;
SASenior Author;
RReviewer