Seizures
There are many different types of seizures.
Most are classified within 2 main categories:
partial seizures and
generalized seizures.
Partial Seizures
Partial seizures occur when the excessive electrical activity in the brain is limited to one area.
The 2 most common forms are
simple partial seizures and
complex partial seizures.
Simple partial seizure: a person may experience a range of strange or unusual movements or sensations, such as sudden jerky movements of one body part, distortions in sight or smell, a sudden sense of fear or anxiety, stomach discomfort, or dizziness. These sensations may be described as an aura. An aura is a simple partial seizure which can occur alone, or can be followed by a generalized seizure.
Complex partial seizure: a person loses awareness as the seizure begins and appears dazed and confused. The person will exhibit meaningless behaviours such as random walking, mumbling, head turning, or pulling at clothing. These behaviours cannot be recalled by the person after the seizure.
Generalized Seizures
Generalized seizures occur when the excessive neural activity
in the brain encompasses the entire brain. The 2 most
common forms are generalized absence seizures and tonicclonic
seizures.
Absence seizure: during this type of seizure a person may appear to be staring into space and his/her eyes may roll upwards. This kind of seizure is characterized by 5 to 15 second lapses of consciousness and, when it has ended, the person will not recall this lapse of consciousness. Generalized absence seizuresmost often occur in childhood and disappear during adolescence. They are less prevalent in adulthood.
Tonic-clonic seizure: during this seizure a person will usually emit a short cry and fall to the floor. This cry does not indicate pain. The muscles will stiffen and the body extremities will jerk and twitch (convulse). Bladder control may be lost. Consciousness is lost and may be regained slowly.
Some medical conditions may cause seizures, these include: febrile seizures (caused by high fever in children), withdrawal seizures, and seizures caused by poisoning, allergic reaction, infection, or an imbalance of body fluids or chemicals (low blood sugar). These are not considered to be forms of epilepsy.
People who have lived with epilepsy for much of their lives may find that their seizures change as they age. The duration of their seizures may become longer or shorter; the intensity may worsen or improve and seizure episodes may occur more or less frequently. Seniors also demonstrate a high rate of newly-diagnosed cases of epilepsy.
While there is a 10% chance that a person will experience a seizure at some time during their lifetime, a single seizure is not considered to be epilepsy.
Postictal States
The 'ictal' state is the time during which a seizure occurs. Postictal states commonly follow both tonic-clonic and complex partial seizures. As a person regains consciousness after a seizure, s/he may experience fatigue, confusion and disorientation lasting minutes, hours or even days (or, rarely, longer). S/he may fall asleep or gradually become less confused until full consciousness is regained. For more information, please contact your
local epilepsy agency.
More Information on this web site about Seizures and First Aid for Seizures.
Important
Status epilepticus, is a prolonged or continuous
seizure state. It can be a life-threatening medical emergency.
Status epilepticus can be convulsive (tonicclonic or myoclonic) or non-convulsive (absence or complex partial). A person in nonconvulsive
status epilepticus may appear confused or dazed.
If a seizure lasts 5 minutes or more, or occur one
after another without full recovery between seizures -
immediate medical care is required.
Call 911 |
SUDEP — Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy
The exact cause of this syndrome is unknown, and yet accounts for 12 - 15% of sudden deaths among people living with epilepsy. Itmost often strikes those between 20 and 40 years of age who have experienced seizures for more than a year.
Additional research and greater awareness about SUDEP is necessary. Autopsies reveal that 50% of affected patients had AED blood concentrations either below therapeutic levels or in completely undetectable amounts. It is unknown whether this is a result of poor compliance or metabolic issues.
More Information on this web site about SUDEP.
