BABY AND CHILDHOOD NERVOUS SYSTEM AND MUSCLE DISORDERS: BREATH-HOLDING ATTACKS
Some children hold their breath. This may happen if they are emotionally upset, frightened or angry. They may cry for a while, then simply stop breathing and hold their breath. As time passes (usually only a few seconds), they may start to go blue in the face, or become pale. Some may go unconscious and become limp.
Sometimes this is associated with a few abnormal muscle jerks, and the limbs may become tight and contracted.
This is often frightening to a parent, especially to a young mother who has not witnessed a scene like this before. She may tend to panic, or be filled with remorse and recriminations, believing she caused it all by not giving the child his own way, or by making him angry.
Relax! It is not your fault, and no harm will befall the patient. Very soon, especially if he becomes unconscious, nature will take over and he will start to breathe normally once more. There is no risk of mental damage or brain upset. There are no adverse symptoms afterwards, and rarely does any harm result.
Sometimes the parents may have done this themselves when young, so the child is simply repeating medical history. Breath-holding attacks are most common in the 6-18 month age group, and seldom happen after the age of 4 or 5 years. There is no risk of mental retardation afterwards, though some tend to show a greater risk of fainting in later life.
There is no treatment, for it is usually unnecessary.
One child specialist, whose advice I often followed, used to place a cold towel on the child's face when the child went into a breath-holding bout, leaving his nose and mouth uncovered. Another specialist I knew suggested that the parent place the child's head under a cold running tap. It invariably quickly ended the bout!
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General Health
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