children and young athletes; medical conditions, epilepsy

Question 1

What is epilepsy?

Answer 1

A neurological condition where a disruption to brain function can cause a brief altercation to the level of consciousness and results in siezures or fits

Question 2

How many children have epilepsy?

Answer 2

Approximately 1 in 200 children have epilepsy and roughly 1 in 20 children will experience a seizure of some form during childhood

Question 3

What sports should a child with epilepsy avoid?

Answer 3

Generally, most sports are safe under supervision however, sports that include collisions (Rugby and American Football) and flashing lights (E-Sports) can be detrimental to triggering a seizure. Swimming also requires intensive supervision to prevent drowning due to a seizure within the water.

Question 4

What is one sport that can be extremely dangerous to a child with epilepsy?

Answer 4

SWIMMING
- Having an epileptic seizure while swimming can be fatal as it may lead to drowning, due to this the athlete must be heavily supervised by an individual with the ability and experience to extract the athlete from the water if a seizure occurs.

Question 5

Why is physical activity good for children with epilepsy?

Answer 5

Some studies suggest that exercise is beneficial for those with epilepsy as abnormalities of electrical activity in the brain decrease during exercise, reducing the possibillity of a seizure.

Question 6

What can trigger epileptic seizures?

Answer 6

• Collisions
• Flashing lights
• Fatigue
• Extremes of body temperature

Question 7

If a seizure occurs what should be done to manage it?

Answer 7

• Remove any surrounding dangers by stopping the game
• Time the length of the seizure
• Maintain privacy where possible
• place the child in the recovery position or immediately if there is any liquid, food or vomit in the child’s mouth, to prevent choking
• Reassure the child after the seizure
• Call an ambulance if the seizure lasts longer than five minutes

Question 8

What are two main types of seizures?

Answer 8

• Petit Mal (Absence) Seizure
• Grand Mal (Tonic-Clonic) Seizure

Question 9

What typically causes petit mal seizures?

Answer 9

Petit mal seizures are often set off by a period of hyperventilation.

Question 10

What happens when an individual experiences a petit mal seizure?

Answer 10

These seizures can cause an individual to blank out or stare into space for a few seconds.

Question 11

What happens when an individual experiences a grand mal seizure?

Answer 11

They experience a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions.
- May begin as focal seizures (small part of the brain) and spread into a generalised seizure (whole brain)