10 Conditions That Mimic Seizures in Children

 1 Breath Holding Spells - It is due to immaturity of autonomic nervous system & occcur in 2 forms 

A) Pallid Breath Holding Spell - Reflex Vagal Bradycardia & Asystole

B) Cynaotic or Blue Breath Holding Spell - Intrapulmonary Shunting & Prolonged Expiratory Apnoea

2 Neonatal Jitteriness & Clonus - equal backward & forward movements of limbs occuring spontaneously or triggered by touch or loud sounds 

3) Motor Tics - Exacerbated by emotions & change in character over time . It may be simple or complex 

4) Episodic Ataxias - recurrent truncal Ataxias & incoordination

It is type 1 ( potassium channel defect) or type 2 ( calcium channel defect)

5) Spasmus Nutans- triad of nystagmus ,head tilt & head nodding 

6) Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood - attacks of flaccid Hemiplegia affecting one or both sides in first 18 months of life 

7) Day Dreaming & Behavioral Staring - Staring May be a manifestation of absence Seizures, which should be differentiated from daydreaming because of fatigue & inattention

8) Paroxysmal Tonic Up gaze of childhood- starts before 3 months of age and consists of protracted attacks of continuous or episodic word gauge deviation during which horizontal eye movements are preserved.

9) Benign sleep myoclonus and neonatal sleep myoclonus- neonatal sleep myoclonus consists of repetitive usually bilateral rhythmic jerks involving the upper and lower limbs during non rapid eye movement sleep sometimes mimicking clonics seizures

10)Apnea - apneic episodes ceassation of breathing for more than 20 seconds in neonates and apnea due to brain stem compression are usually associated with bradycardia .In contrast Apnea associated with Seizures is usually aaccompanied by tachycardia.