West Syndrome (Infantile Spasm) Quiz
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Motor stereotypies such as head shaking, nodding
Cognitive delay
Blacking out
My body is jerking
Weak
Unintentional and repetitive muscle movements such as head shaking or nodding
Problems with growth
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What is West Syndrome (Infantile Spasm)?
A type of epilepsy (recurrent seizures) that occurs in young children. These are more commonly called infantile spasms (IS) because they are seen most often in the first year of life, typically between ages 4 and 8 months. They often look like a sudden bending forward of the body with stiffening of the arms and legs lasting for one to two seconds; some children arch their backs as they extend their arms and legs. Spasms tend to happen when the infant wakes up, and often happen in many clusters, with hundreds of seizures per day. It results from damage to the developing brain, with various causes like chromosomal abnormalities (e.g. Down's syndrome), brain malformations, or brain infections.
Treatment of West Syndrome (Infantile Spasm)
Many underlying disorders, such as birth injury, metabolic disorders, and genetic disorders can give rise to IS, making it important to identify the underlying cause. In some children, no cause can be found. Treatment aims to reduce seizure frequency. Options for treatment include hormone therapy, a ketogenic diet, and anti-seizure medications.
Reviewed By:
Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)
Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.
Yuta Sasaoka, MD (Pediatrics)
Dr. Sasaoka graduated from the Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine. After working in the Department of Pediatrics at Hakodate Municipal Hospital, the Emergency Center at Hakodate Municipal Hospital, and the Department of Emergency Medicine at Tokyo Metropolitan Children's General Medical Center, he joined the Sapporo Medical University Advanced Emergency Medical Center in April 2020. Dr. Sasaoka is well versed in pediatric emergency medicine, covering a wide range of pediatrics and emergency medicine. He is also a certified AHA-PALS instructor and focuses on pediatric secondary life support education at the Hokkaido Training Site.
Content updated on Feb 19, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Pavone P, Polizzi A, Marino SD, Corsello G, Falsaperla R, Marino S, Ruggieri M (2020). West syndrome: a comprehensive review. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32827285/Hollenshead PP, Jackson CN, Cross JV, Witten TE, Anwar AI, Ahmadzadeh S, Shekoohi S, Kaye AD (2021). Treatment modalities for infantile spasms: current considerations and evolving strategies in clinical practice. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37736852/Auvin S, Hartman AL, Desnous B, Moreau AC, Alberti C, Delanoe C, Romano A, Terrone G, Kossoff EH, Del Giudice E, Titomanlio L (2012). Diagnosis delay in West syndrome: misdiagnosis and consequences. European journal of pediatrics.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22892960/