In the show The nursery school (France 5), the mother of a little Noëlie says that one day, her daughter was scratched in the face by the cat, and that the child was afraid, and badly. “She came to me running, screaming. I take her in my arms to reassure her, to console her, and there, all of a sudden, she became very stiff, she put her head back, her eyes revolted, mouth wide open, no more of her no more image. I had the impression that she was no longer breathing.”
The child was taken to the emergency room and the doctors explained to the mother that there was nothing serious, that she had had a “sob spasm”. But what is it?
What are the signs of sobbing spasm?
A child is crying and suddenly stops, takes his breath away, Takes a blue color of the skin and can go as far as losing consciousness, even convulsing. This extremely impressive episode is a sob spasm.
It is described by a notice published on the National Library of Medicine and produced by BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, as “a mild paroxysmal non-epileptic disorder that occurs in healthy children 6 to 48 months of age. Episodes begin with a provocation, such as an emotional upset or minor injury, and may progress to breath holding, cyanosis and syncope.
According to the MSD manual : “Bob spasms occur in 0.1% to 5% of healthy children. They usually appear during the first year of life with a peak at the age of 2 years. They disappear at the age of 4 in 50% of cases and at the age of 8 in 83% of children.” But it happens that it continues until adulthood.
Sob spasm: causes, risks?
It can happen in two ways: the child stops breathing and turns blue (the cyanotic type, in 85% of cases), or the child turns livid (the pale type). This second form is explained by the fact that vagal stimulation greatly slows the heart rate.
In general, the baby or child comes back to himself and breathes again after the seizure. And whatever the type of spasm: there is no serious consequences for the child, these are mild episodeswhich do not cause respiratory or brain damage.
It is very important to note that even if it is a reaction to an episode of provocation, which causes fear, anger, frustration to the child, he is not responsible for this spasm. “Although many consider it to be ‘attention-seeking’ behavior, these spasms are not intentional; they are due to an involuntary reflex and the child does not have the ability to control them“, notes a study.
Several hypotheses have been made as to the cause, based on studies conducted in Turkey, reports the note published on PubMed Central: this could be due to a delay in the maturation of the brainstem. Or be the result of anemia, two studies have established an improvement between the administration of iron supplements and cyanotic apnea.
How to react, to take care of it?
If the crisis is very impressive, it is not always possible to calm it down. In some children, blowing hard on their face helps to “come back” to their conscious state. “It may be possible to interrupt a spasm at its onset by placing a cold cloth on the face of the child“, adds the MSD manual.
When going to the hospital, it can be difficult for doctors to say that it is indeed a sob spasm at first. Sometimes an electrocardiogram is prescribed to rule out other hypotheses. If no neurological or cardiac abnormalities are detected, the diagnosis of breath-hold spasm can be made. Iron treatment is recommended if anemia is found, says the MSD manual.
Sources: PubMed Central, MSD Manual
