Absence seizures characteristics

Absence seizures generally occur in young children or adolescents and exhibit a sudden onset, interruption of ongoing activities, a blank stare, and possibly a brief upward rotation of the eyes. Absence seizures have a characteristic two to four cycle/second spike and slow-wave EEG pattern. 

Absence status epilepticus is a condition of impaired consciousness, perhaps including mild motor symptoms, that lasts from 30 minutes to 12 hours. It can be distinguished from ongoing seizures because of organic or toxic causes by the spike-and-wave EEC pattern that is characteristic of absence seizures. The usual pharmacological treatment of absence status employs diazepam or lorazepam, followed by ethosuximide. 

The absence (petit mal) seizure is characterized by both sudden onset and abrupt cessation. Its duration is usually less than 10 seconds and rarely more than 45 seconds. Consciousness is altered the attack may also be associated with mild clonic jerking of the eyelids or extremities, with postural tone changes, autonomic phenomena, and automatisms. The occurrence of automatisms can complicate the clinical differentiation from complex partial seizures in some patients. Absence attacks begin in childhood or adolescence and may occur up to hundreds of times a day. The electroencephalogram during the seizure shows a highly characteristic 2.5-3.5 Hz spike-and-wave pattern. Atypical absence patients have seizures... 

Symptoms, such as vomiting, respiratory problems, hypotonia, and seizures, in young children often are characteristic of various serious infections, including meningitis and sepsis. Although these are usually accompanied by fever, neonates with sepsis may be hypothermic or euthermic (normal temperature). In the absence of seizures, gastrointestinal obstruction and cardiorespiratory problems are in the differential... 

Phenobarbital has selective antiseizure activity at low doses and has a long half-life suitable for maintenance treatment in seizure disorders (for characteristics of barbiturates, see sedative-hypnotics). Clonazepam is usually a backup drug in absence and myoclonic seizures it causes marked sedation at anticonvulsant doses. IV lorazepam and diazepam are both used in status epilepticus. 

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