How are absence seizures diagnosed?

How are absence seizures diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider makes the diagnosis of absence epilepsy based on symptoms, a hyperventilation test and results of an electroencephalogram (EEG) test.

Be prepared to describe your child’s symptoms, including what happened before, during and after the event. This information may come from you or other family members or school staff.

Hyperventilating can trigger an absence seizure. To help make the diagnosis, your healthcare provider may want your child to perform this test. If so, your child will be asked to blow repeatedly for more than two minutes.

Your healthcare provider will order an electroencephalogram test. During this test, the electrical activity of their brain is monitored through sensors placed on your child’s scalp. Absence seizures are diagnosed by a particular type of brain wave pattern.