Benign Rolandic Epilepsy Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Benign rolandic epilepsy, an epilepsy syndrome is the most common type of epilepsy in children. Benign rolandic epilepsy is also referred to as benign focal epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes or benign rolandic epilepsy of childhood. The word "benign" from benign rolandic epilepsy means that it has a very good outcome. Nearly all the children with benign rolandic epilepsy will outgrow it during adolescence. And the word "rolandic" refers to a part of the brain called rolandic area.

Benign rolandic epilepsy is classified under partial seizures and affects nearly 15-20 percent of the children. Children between the ages 3 to 13 are affected by benign rolandic epilepsy. But the average age of its onset is 6-8 years. Boys are a bit more likely to be affected than girls. Children who have close relatives with epilepsy are more commonly affected by benign rolandic epilepsy.

Benign rolandic epilepsy usually occurs at night or early in the morning and is characterized by simple partial seizures that involve face and mouth. The seizures may occur many times a day or may be infrequent. Children with benign rolandic epilepsy usually don't have learning difficulties. Some may however have some difficulties with drawing, reading and language.

Causes of Benign Rolandic Epilepsy

Though there is no underlying cause of benign rolandic epilepsy, there must be some genetic predisposition. Children may have benign rolandic epilepsy if anyone of his close relatives has it. But not all children having a family history of benign rolandic epilepsy have it. Some may have it while others may not.

Symptoms of Benign Rolandic Epilepsy

Children with benign rolandic epilepsy often experience pins and needles (tingling) sensation on one side of the mouth that involves lips, tongue and gum. When the seizures involve throat it may result in speech arrest and problems with pronunciation making it difficult to understand.

He may also experience a twitching sensation at the corner of his mouth or at one side of the face. The seizure may spread and cause the arms and legs of one side to stiffen. Sometimes both the sides of the body get affected. This results in loss of consciousness, incontinence and repeated jerking movements of arms and legs. After this type of seizure the child feels sleepy.

Diagnosis of Benign Rolandic Epilepsy

EEG (electroencephalogram) tests are performed on the children having such type of seizures to confirm the condition. It is a test, which records the pattern of electrical activity in the brain, especially the electrical activity of rolandic area. The children are diagnosed with benign rolandic epilepsy if there is a repetitive spike activity firing mainly from the rolandic (parietal or mid-temporal) areas of the brain. Sometimes, a child may have benign rolandic epilepsy even if EEG test shows normal electrical activity of brain.

Treatment of Benign Rolandic Epilepsy

There is no treatment required for benign rolandic epilepsy as it goes away by itself as the child reaches adolescence. The seizures may be infrequent, that is they occur only once or twice and therefore require no treatment. Benign rolandic epilepsy goes away automatically even if left untreated.

For daytime seizures and frequent seizures doctor may prescribe certain antiepileptic medications like carbamazepine (Tegretol or Carbatrol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), sodium valproate (Epilim), gabapentin (Neurontin) and lamotrigine (Lamictal). These medications are taken every day for about two years and may be discontinued by doctor's advice, once the child reaches adolescence.