Seizure
What is a seizure?
A seizure is a sudden change in movement or awareness due to a change in the electrical function of the brain. Sudden bursts of electrical energy may affect movement, sensation and consciousness. Seizures are changes in the brain’s electrical activity. These changes can cause dramatic, noticeable symptoms, subtle or mild symptoms, or no symptoms at all. The symptoms of a severe seizure include repetitive jerking and stiffening and a loss of control. Because some seizures can lead to injury or be a sign of an underlying medical condition, it’s important to seek treatment if you experience them.
What are the types of seizures?
The three major types are focal onset seizures, generalized onset seizures, and unknown onset seizures.
- Focal onset seizures: Focal onset seizures begin in only one area of the brain. People may also refer to these as partial seizures. Focal onset seizures start in small areas of the brain, such as a single lobe, but can affect large areas. During a focal aware seizure, you’ll remain fully conscious and be aware that something is happening, even if you don’t recognize it as a seizure. The symptoms of a focal aware seizure will depend on which part of the brain the seizure starts. Focal aware seizures may be singular events but can also develop into other types of seizures. For this reason, people often refer to them as warnings or auras.
Focal impaired-awareness seizure affects your consciousness. During a focal impaired-awareness seizure, you may not be able to move, talk, or hear as you did before. You may also not be able to remember the event.Focal impaired-awareness seizures can last for up to 2 minutes. This type of seizure typically affects a larger portion of the brain than focal aware seizures. - Generalized onset seizures
These seizures start in both sides of the brain simultaneously. Among the more common types of generalized onset seizures are:- Tonic: Tonic seizures will result in your muscles stiffening up.
- Clonic: The convulsions in clonic seizures may cause abnormal, jerky movements of your limbs. You will likely lose consciousness during these seizures that can last for a few minutes.
- Tonic-clonic include a combination of both tonic and clonic symptoms.
- Myoclonic: During a myoclonic seizure you may experience sudden muscle spasms. These are typically too short-lived to affect consciousness and pass quickly. Myoclonic seizures may be of generalized onset as well as focal onset.
- Absence or petit mal seizures. Absence seizures last for only a few seconds. They can cause you to blink repeatedly or stare into space. Other people may mistakenly think you’re daydreaming.
- Atonic: During atonic seizures your muscles suddenly go limp. Your head may nod, or your entire body could fall to the ground. Atonic seizures are brief, lasting about 15 seconds. People may refer to these seizures as drop attacks.
- Unknown onset seizures
Sometimes no one witnesses the beginning of a seizure. For example, someone may wake up in the middle of the night and observe their partner having a seizure.
How do I know it’s a seizure?
A person can have an epilepsy condition that causes both focal and generalized seizures at different times, but not simultaneously. A focal seizure can progress to become a generalized seizure. Sometimes this happens slowly and sometimes it can happen rapidly. Sometimes symptoms occur before the seizure takes place. These can include:
- A sudden feeling of fear or anxiousness
- A feeling of being sick to your stomach
- Dizziness
- A change in vision
- A jerky movement of the arms and legs that may cause you to drop things
- An out-of-body sensation
- A headache
- Déjà vu
- Mood changes
Signs that indicate a seizure is in progress include:
- Losing consciousness, followed by confusion
- Having uncontrollable muscle spasms
- Drooling or frothing at the mouth
- Falling
- Having a strange taste in your mouth
- Clenching your teeth
- Biting your tongue
- Having sudden, rapid eye movements
- Making unusual noises, such as grunting
- Losing control of bladder or bowel function
What causes seizures?
Seizures can stem from several health conditions. Some examples include:
- Alcohol withdrawal
- A brain infection, such as meningitis
- A brain injury during childbirth
- A brain irregularity present at birth
- Choking
- Hypoglycaemia or very low blood sugars
- Substance use/overdose or substance withdrawal
- An electrolyte imbalance
- Electric shock
- Epilepsy
- Extremely high blood pressure
- Fever especially in children under 5
- Head trauma
- Kidney or liver failure
- Low blood glucose levels
- A stroke
- A brain tumor
- Vascular abnormality in the brain
Seizures can occur in families. Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family has a history of seizures. In some instances, especially with young children, the cause of the seizure may be unknown.
What are the effects of seizures?
Living with epilepsy and experiencing repeated seizures can have both short- and long-term effects. These can range from a drop in quality of life to increased risks of mental health conditions.
Short-term effects
Some seizures can cause you to lose total control of your body. This can lead to falls and other movements that can result in injury. People with epilepsy typically have more physical issues, such as bruising and fractures, than people without the condition. Being prone to seizures may also affect your quality of life. For example, you may no longer be able to drive or operate heavy machinery.
Long-term effects
If you don’t get treatment for seizures, their symptoms can become worse and progressively last longer. Prolonged seizures can lead to coma or death.
How are seizures diagnosed?
Your doctor may recommend specific tests to accurately diagnose a seizure and help ensure that the treatments they recommend will be effective. Your doctor will consider your complete medical history and the events leading up to the seizure. For example, migraine, headaches, sleep disorders, and extreme psychological stress can cause seizure-like symptoms. Lab tests may help your doctor rule out other conditions that can cause seizure-like activity. The tests may include:
- blood testing to check for electrolyte imbalances
- a spinal tap to rule out infection
- a toxicology screening to test for drugs, poisons, or toxins
An electroencephalogram (EEG) can help your doctor diagnose a seizure. This test measures your brain waves. Viewing brain waves during a seizure can help your doctor diagnose the type of seizure. An EEG can show evidence of seizure activity even when a person isn’t having a seizure. But an EEG can also be completely normal when a person is not having a seizure. Imaging scans, such as a CT scan or MRI scan, can also help by providing a clear picture of the brain. These scans allow your doctor to see abnormalities like brain damage or a tumor.
How are seizures treated?
Treatments for seizures depend on the cause. By treating the cause of the seizures, ( for example blood pressure control or antibiotics) you may be able to prevent future seizures from occurring. The treatment for seizures due to epilepsy include:
Medications
Antiepileptic drugs are often the first treatment option for people experiencing multiple seizures. They target the signaling activities in specific brain cells and can effectively control seizures in approximately 70% of cases.
Brain surgery if indicated, can improve quality of life.
What do I do if someone has a seizure?
It helps to stay with the person until the seizure is over and pay attention to how long the seizure lasts. Prevent injury by removing harmful objects away from them. Do not hold the person down or force anything (yes, even spoons) in the mouth. Seek medical attention immediately after because the seizure may recur.
