children s health issues
Breath Holding Spells
Pallid Breath Holding Spells
The pallid form typically occurs after a painful experience, such as falling and banging the head or being suddenly startled. The brain sends out a signal (via the vagus nerve) that severely slows the heart rate, causing loss of consciousness. Thus, in this form, the temporary loss of consciousness and temporary stoppage of breathing result from a nerve response to being startled that leads to slowing of the heart. During a pallid breath-holding spell, the child stops breathing, rapidly loses consciousness, and becomes pale and limp. A Seizures in Children and loss of bladder control After the spell, the heart speeds up again, breathing restarts, and consciousness returns without any treatment. Because this form causes symptoms similar to those of certain heart and brain disorders, doctors may need to do a diagnostic evaluation to rule out those disorders if the spells occur often. 