Health care providers and family members are invited to learn about infantile spasms at an educational dinner hosted by CHOC on Oct. 25, 2016, at 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., on CHOC’s Orange campus (Harold Wade Education Center, 1201 W. La Veta Ave.)
Undiagnosed infantile spasms can develop into intractable epilepsy, a very common, but debilitating disorder. Each year, 150,000 children and adolescents in the country will have a single, unprovoked seizure, and 33 to 45 percent of these children will develop epilepsy. Infantile spasms are easy to miss for a pediatrician, as they can mimic common symptoms and conditions, such as sleep disturbances, gastroesophageal reflux, startle and shuddering attacks.
The onset for infantile spasm is usually between 4 to 8 months of life, and is characterized by clusters of flexion or extension of upper and lower extremities, occurring for five to 10 seconds every 10 to 20 minutes. Early recognition of this and other epilepsy syndromes is of critical importance in determining a treatment plan. The consequences of intractable epilepsy are multiple and can be very detrimental – including psychosocial and academic effects.
There is a four to six-week window of opportunity to treat infantile spasms most successfully. If infantile spasms are suspected, an urgent appointment with a board certified pediatric neurologist is recommended.
Evening Agenda
Following arrival and dinner, from 6-6:30 p.m., the following schedule is planned for the evening:
6:30-6:45 p.m. Introduction and case presentation
6:45-7 p.m. What are infantile spasms and why the urgency to treat?
7-7:20 p.m. Treatment and management
7:20-7:40 p.m. Latest research
7:40-8 p.m. Real stories from the O.C.
8-8:30 p.m. Q & A
Expected outcomes for attendees include: recognizing the presentation of infantile spasms; knowing how to promptly and appropriately refer to a pediatric neurologist; and recalling current research endeavors about infantile spasms.
To register, visit https://infantilespasms.eventgrid.com/.
