Ohtahara syndrome is a rare type of epilepsy that usually appears in babies under 3 months of age, and is therefore also known as infantile epileptic encephalopathy.
The first seizures of this type of epilepsy usually happen during the last trimester of pregnancy, still inside the uterus, but they can also appear during the first 10 days of the baby’s life, being characterized by involuntary muscle contractions that leave the legs and arms stiff for a few seconds.
Although there is no cure, treatment can be carried out with the use of medication, physiotherapy and adjustment of the diet in order to prevent the emergence of crises and improve the child’s quality of life.
How to confirm the diagnosis
In some cases, Ohtahara syndrome can be diagnosed by a pediatrician simply by observing the symptoms and evaluating the child’s history.
However, the doctor may also order an electroencephalogram, which is a painless test that evaluates brain activity during seizures. Find out more about how this exam is carried out.
How the treatment is carried out
The first form of treatment recommended by the pediatrician is usually the use of antiepileptic medications, such as Clonazepam or Topiramate, to try to control the onset of seizures, however, these medications may have little results and, therefore, other treatments may be recommended. forms of treatment that include:
- Use of corticosteroidswith corticotropin or prednisone: reduce the number of attacks in some children;
- Surgery for epilepsy: is used in children in whom seizures are caused by a specific area of the brain and is done by removing that area, as long as it is not important for the functioning of the brain;
- Follow a ketogenic diet: can be used in all cases to complement treatment and consists of eliminating foods rich in carbohydrates from the diet, such as bread or pasta, in order to control the onset of seizures. See which foods are allowed and prohibited in this type of diet.
Although treatment is very important to improve the child’s quality of life, there are many cases in which Ohtahara syndrome worsens over time, causing delays in cognitive and motor development. Due to this type of complications, life expectancy is low, approximately 2 years.
What causes the syndrome
The cause of Ohtahara syndrome is difficult to identify in most cases, however, the two main factors that appear to be at the origin of this syndrome are genetic mutations during pregnancy and brain malformations.
Therefore, to try to reduce the risk of this type of syndrome, you should avoid getting pregnant after the age of 35 and follow all your doctor’s recommendations, such as avoiding alcohol consumption, not smoking, avoiding the use of non-prescribed medications and participating in all prenatal consultations, for example. Understand all the causes that can lead to a risky pregnancy.
