How To Verify Spells That Hold The Breath?

Breath-holding spells are frightening but innocuous episodic events that can affect infants and young children. There are no tests to confirm a breath-holding spell, and your pediatrician usually can diagnose it after hearing what happened. Breath-holding spells are typically triggered by physically painful or emotionally upsetting events, such as a sudden upset or surprise. The two clinical types of breath-holding spells are cyanotic and pallid.

A breath-holding spell is when a child catches their breath and does not continue to breathe for a period. Children sometimes lose consciousness or appear as if they are having a seizure. Diagnosis is usually made from the description of the episode, with a history of any inciting event elicited to distinguish any seizure disorder.

Palid breath-holding spells occur when the child’s face turns white, and they may cry a little bit or not at all before having the spell. Symptoms of a breath-holding spell include paleness, stoppage of breathing, and a short gasp, exhales, and stops breathing.

When a child loses consciousness due to a breath-holding spell, they usually wake up after less than a minute and are completely normal. They may cry and then be silent while holding their breath, open their mouth as if going to cry but make no sound turn pale, blue, or paler. It is important to see a doctor to ensure that breath-holding is not a sign of something more serious.