Definition:
West Syndrome also known as the “Infantile Spasms” is a rare form of epilepsy in infants. The syndrome is related to the age of the person and usually occur in the 3rd and 12th month especially the 5th month of the infant.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis may be made through careful study and observation of the symptoms which varies from one person to another.
Treatment:
Treatment is often hard than any other form of epilepsy. However, ACTH are used especially in the United States and Vigabatrin or Sabril are used to treat the syndrome. These drugs however have their side effects which can range from dizziness, fatigue, weight gain to sepsis and congestive heart failure. Ketagonic diet is also advised to treat infantile spasms (Nordli Jr, Douglas R.; Maxine M. Kuroda, Joanne CarrollDagger, Dorcas Y. KoenigsbergerDagger, Lawrence J. Hirsch, Harlan J. Brunerparallel, William T. Seidel, and Darryl C. De Vivo (2002). Experience With the Ketagonic Diet in Infants. Pediatrics 108 (1).
Symptoms and Signs:
Symptoms includes epileptic seizures, sudden and severe myoclonic convulsions of the entire body or the flexor mucle convulsions, convulsions on the legs in the throat and neck flexor muscles where the chin is fitfully jerked towards the breast or the head is drawn inward.
Causes:
It is said that the syndrome is caused a brain dysfunction which may be prenatal perinatal or that which is caused during birth or even postnatal. Specifically, is linked to the malfunctioning of the neurotransmitter of the brain or the hyper-production of the Corticotropin releasing hormone or the CRH.
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