My son was diagnosed with west syndrome at 7 months old, he is now 11 years old. Does the syndrome carry on into this age? He seems to have the same type of seizure as an infant! he also has like three different other types of seizures as well. The one he seems to have frequently is mainly at night, he would be fast asleep as soon as I open the door or try and lay next to him or any kind of noise he wakes up. He sits and then starts shivering as if cold and then the teeth start rattling then the seizure starts like drop attacks! (head dropping)

Dr. Sajeev KumarGeneral Physician34yrs exp

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West syndrome is a severe epilepsy syndrome composed of the triad of infantile spasms, an interictal electroencephalogram (eeg) pattern termed hypsarrhythmia, and mental retardation. West syndrome (also called infantile spasms) should go away by the time your child is 4 years old. But most people who had it will get another kind of epilepsy or seizure condition in childhood or as an adult. West syndrome can affect your child's development and ability to think. In some cases, it is possible that treatment with anticonvulsant drugs may help reduce or control various types of seizure activity associated with west syndrome. The most common medications used to treat epileptic spasms include adrenocorticotropic hormone (acth), prednisone, vigabatrin and pyridoxine. Life expectancy for west syndrome is variable. About five in every 100 infants and children with west syndrome do not survive beyond five years of age.  

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