HEALTH ALERT: Parents, be advised that if your baby has Down syndrome, they have a 10% (1 out of 10) chance of having Infantile Spasms (a form of baby epilepsy). This is an under reported disease in infants with DS.
It shows up around 3 to 12 months of age and presents as a strange “Salaam” motion –the hands come together at the chest area and arms are extremely rigid. The legs also contract and the knees come up. The baby usually cries out during an episode. We have summarized what you need to know in this entry so that you can become familiar with IS and how it is treated. It is critical that you bring your baby to the emergency room for immediate care. This must be treated or brain injury will result.
