Epilepsy is a type of brain disorder characterized by sporadic episodes of abnormal signaling within the brain. When this occurs, patients can experience involuntary muscle contractions and movements referred to as seizures. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) explains that there are over 30 several different forms of seizures that are broadly divided into two categories: focal seizures, which develop within a specific region of the brain; or generalized seizures, which occur throughout the brain. Epilepsy symptoms in infants can vary based upon the type and severity of this condition.
Involuntary Muscle Spasms
The most common symptom of epilepsy in infants is involuntary muscle spasms. These muscle spasm episodes--called seizures--can affect the infant's head, body or extremities and may occur dozens of times each day, explain Dr. Dianne McBrien and Dr. Daniel Bonthius with the University of Iowa Children's Hospital in Iowa City. Muscle spasm episodes may last for a few seconds or minutes and then typically subside. These symptoms can be troubling or frightening to an infant's parents or caretakers but generally do not cause any harm to the infant.
Loss of Consciousness
An infant may lose consciousness during a seizure resulting from epilepsy, warn NINDS health officials. During these brief episodes, an infant may be unresponsive to touch, sound or smell. Certain infants begin to cry immediately before having a seizure or losing consciousness. When the infant wakes up, she may appear disoriented or confused for several minutes.
Excessive Drooling
An infant with epilepsy can develop unusually large amounts of saliva within the mouth, causing him to drool excessively--especially during or immediately following a seizure, explains the Epilepsy Foundation. He may also frequently move his mouth, smack his lips together or gurgle as symptoms of epilepsy.
Loss of Excretory Control
Epilepsy can cause an infant to wet or soil her diaper during a seizure, explain McBrien and Bonthius. This loss of excretory control can persist as an epileptic infant gets older and may be accompanied by abdominal pain or discomfort.
Skin Discoloration and Pupil Dilation
During a seizure, an infant can appear unusually pale or flush (red) as a symptom of this condition. An infant's pupils--the black region at the center of the eye--can appear much larger than usual, explains the Epilepsy Foundation. Certain infants may also begin to sweat profusely or develop goose bumps across the skin. These symptoms of epilepsy in infants are typically temporary and resolve within several minutes following a seizure.
