How is Dravet syndrome diagnosed?

How is Dravet syndrome diagnosed?

Your child’s healthcare provider will ask you about their medical and medication history. Diagnosis is sometimes delayed, as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) results are usually normal at first.

Your child’s healthcare provider will conduct a clinical exam to look for the symptoms of Dravet syndrome. Specific information you’ll be asked about your child may include:

• Did your child have normal or near-normal mental and physical/muscle development before the seizures started?
• Did your child have two or more seizures, with or without fever, before one year of age?
• Did two or more seizures last longer than five minutes?

They’ll also ask you to describe the types of seizures your child has had, what medications were prescribed (if any) and how well they controlled your child’s seizures (if medication was prescribed).

They may also suggest a blood test to check for the SCN1A gene mutation, but they can usually make the diagnosis based on your child’s symptoms.