Children in England living with a rare and severe form of epilepsy may soon benefit from rolling a new drug on NHS.
Fenfluramine has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) with Lenquars -Gastot Syndrome (LGS) for patients aged two and above.
LGS is a rare and severe form of epilepsy that begins in childhood and is resistant to many treatments. It is believed that with epilepsy, England has LGS in about 1-2% out of 60,000 children.
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The first non-canbis-based treatment approved for this form of epilepsy, the drug is taken as an oral liquid drug daily and works by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain to reduce seizures.
Lisa Suchet, who has an LGS with a 10 -year -old son, says the drug expects his son “liberation freedom”.
“My son has been suffering with seizures as he was five weeks of age, including the drop recovery, which is the most devastating,” he said. “They occur without warnings, cause immediate collapse and the risk of head injury is high due to sudden fall.”
Suchet says that till now there are very few effective medicines for seizure control. “Many do not work for patients; many people have conversations with side effects or other meds, which a patient may have to take,” she explains.
“That now another option is available, which showed effective results and minimal side effects are a huge comfort. It is essentially providing a chance of seizure freedom, which is essentially another chance in life; For patients and family or carers who are greatly affected by this terrible disease.
Britain has 60,000 children living with epilepsy. (Getty image)
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological condition (affecting the brain and nervous system) where a person has a tendency to seizure that begins as the disintegration of signals in the brain.
Some children stop seizure after a period of treatment, however, long -term treatment is required.
This condition is more common than many people, with about one child in every 200 living with epilepsy.
What is the cause of epilepsy in children and is it hereditary?
The NHS says that while sometimes there is a clear cause of the development of epilepsy, for example a severe blow to the head, an infection of the brain such as meningitis, or brain damage due to lack of oxygen during a difficult birth, In other cases, this is not clear in other cases.
It is possible that a child’s epilepsy can partially affect their genes how their brain works, as NHS estimates that one of the three people with epilepsy is a family member.
Children may experience various symptoms during epileptic seizures. (Getty image)
What happens during a seizure?
The seizures are caused by a sudden bursting of electrical activity in the brain, which temporarily disrupts the method of passing messages between brain cells.
There are different types of epilepsy, but the type of a child depends on what condition their brain is affected by.
Epilepsy Society says that there are two main types of seizures: focal seizures and generalized seizures.
“Focal seizures begins only from one side of the brain and generalized seizures affect both sides of the brain,” the charity explains. “Generally, adults and children have the same type of seizure. However, some may be more common in childhood (for example, absence seizures that can be very brief and often wrong for ‘daylight’ Or not paying attention). “
Symptoms of child experience during seizure may include:
Unusual sensations such as a strange taste in the mouth or a strange smell, or a growing feeling in the stomach.
In some types of seizure, a child may know what is happening. In other types, a child will faint and whatever happened after that will have no memory.
Some children may have seizures while they are sleeping (sometimes “so” or ‘nocturnal’ seizures).
What is the reason for a seizure?
Epilepsy Society says that some children may be in response to triggers such as stress, enthusiasm, boredom, left drug, or lack of sleep.
Charity recommends having a diary of your child’s seizures, which can help to see if there is a pattern when they are and what can happen.
What to do if your child seizes?
If a child experiences a tonic-clonic seizure (when their body becomes hard and most people connect with epilepsy) The Great Ormand Street Hospital advises not to try to stop it.
“Instead, remove any furniture from the way, try to loosen any tight clothes around the neck and stay with the child until the seizure is over.” “As soon as uncontrolled movements are over, keep the child in a recovery position.”
If a child has another type of seizure, it is recommended that you sit quietly and stay with them until they are completely recovered and alert. Assure the child peacefully.
NHS recommends calling 999 for ambulances for your child:
The first time is a seizure
A seizure that lasts for more than 5 minutes
There are plenty of seizures in a row
Breathing is a problem or has seriously injured himself
If this is the first seizure of your child, experts recommend calling 999. (Getty image)
Do children get out of epilepsy?
Your child’s baby can change over time. But some children carry their epilepsy ahead of their middle teenagers from their middle. According to epilepsy society it is called “spontaneous discount”.
Can epilepsy be cured in childhood?
Currently there is no cure for epilepsy, but treatment may prevent most children with epilepsy from low seizures or completely seizures.
Medications are called anti-ai-ai-ai-lady drugs-these are the main treatments
Surgery to remove a small part of the brain that is causing recovery
A process of placing a small electrical equipment inside the body
A special diet (ketogenic diet) that can help control seizures
In very rare cases when the drug does not help, and the scan indicates that a structural brain abnormality causes surgery.
Read more about epilepsy:
