About this topic
During a breath holding spell, your child may seem to hold their breath, become pale or blue in color, and then pass out. Your child is not able to control the breath holding spell. Your child may have some kind of intense feelings which causes them to cry or be startled just before the breath holding spell. Then your child may go on to become limp and pass out. Most of the time, after about a minute, your child wakes up again and starts breathing normally. ‚
What are the causes?
Doctors do not know what causes breath holding spells. ‚
What can make this more likely to happen?
Breath holding spells are more likely to happen to children: ‚
- Between 6 months and 6 years old. Most of the time they happen when a child is about 2 years old.
- If other family members also have them
- Who have certain conditions like iron deficiency anemia, Rett syndrome, or Riley-Day syndrome
What are the main signs?
Breath holding spells only happen when your child is awake and are triggered by an emotional event. This may be something like pain, being scared or surprised, some kind of injury, or being upset. Your child may gasp or cry and then stop breathing for a short time. Your child may also have some jerking movements. There are 2 kinds of breath holding spells: ‚
- Cyanotic breath holding spell ¢ ˆ ’ Cyanotic means blue. With this kind of breath holding spell, your child will slowly turn from light blue to almost purple.
- Pallid breath holding spell ¢ ˆ ’ Pallid means pale. With this kind of breath holding spell, your child may look very pale and their skin may become chalky white.
How does the doctor diagnose this health problem?
Your doctor will take your childs history and do an exam. The doctor may order: ‚
How does the doctor treat this health problem?
Often, no treatment is needed. Your child may need to take extra iron if their iron levels are low. Many children outgrow breath holding spells by the time they are between 4 and 8 years old. ‚
Will there be any other care needed?
- Ignore breath holding spells that do not cause your child to faint.
- If your child does faint, keep them safe during the spell. Lay them on the floor and keep them from hitting anything.
- Most children start breathing again within 1 minute. You may also need to start rescue breathing.
- Learn what things trigger breath holding spells. Try to stay away from those things.
- If your childs breath holding spells happen during tantrums, discuss with your doctor ways to prevent or avoid tantrums.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Activate the emergency medical system right away if your child does not start breathing within 1 minute. Call 911 in the United States or Canada.
- Call the doctor if your child:
- Has more muscle jerking with breath holding spells
- Has more breath holding spells than normal
- Is less alert than normal after a breath holding spell
Helpful tips
- Keep a list of the things that seem to trigger your childs breath holding spells. Share this with other caregivers.
- Keep track of how long the spell lasts. Use a clock or watch to time the spell.
Where can I learn more?
Epilepsy Foundation ‚
http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/diagnosis/seizure-imitators/breath-holding-spells ‚
Kids Health ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/spells.html# ‚
Victoria State Government Department of Health ‚
http://health.vic.gov.au/edfactsheets/downloads/breath-holding-in-children.pdf ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2016-01-19 ‚
List_set bdysylist
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚