Seizures are defined as sudden or disturbing changes in brains electrical activity. Most of the Seizures produce notable symptoms, but some can leave no signs at all. Recognizing a seizure is important as they can indicate a medical problem . Seizures can be of many types two main types are Epileptic Seizure and Non-epileptic Seizures.
Epileptic Seizures
Epileptic seizures are most common types of Seizures, and about 25% of total Seizure types have Epilepsy. Epilepsy is the disease of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures, but people who do not have epilepsy can also suffer from epileptic seizures.
Non-Epileptic Seizures
Epileptic Seizures are seizures that do not include abnormal discharges of cortical neurons . They are often caused by psychological conditions like staring for a long time and so on.
Organic Non Epileptic Seizure are caused due to physical condition such as Heart diseases or Diabetes.
Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizure are caused due to Psychological condition such as a panic attack, factitious seizures.
Partial Seizure
Happening on one side of the brain, Partial seizure affects only one side of the body. Focal seizures are common example of partial seizure when parts of brain controlling sensory, visual, psychic, autonomic, olfactory or motor nerves are affected. During a Partial seizure, patient won’t be able to respond and may appear confused. Jacksonian march may also occur while experiencing a partial seizure . Chances of Automatism during a Partial seizure also exist. Automatism is a condition where patient starts unconscious and unusual activities; it may be smacking of lips or petting his hair.
Generalized Seizures
Generalized Seizures occur on both parts of the body and cause loss of consciousness. There are many types of generalized seizures, some of them are discussed below
Absence Seizure
Absence Seizure can be defined as a loss of consciousness; it is common among children. The patient can lose consciousness and stares blankly. Most of the patients don’t even know that they had a seizure and commonly goes unnoticed.
Tonic Seizure
Tonic seizures are stiffening of muscles. It may take 10-30 minutes for a person to return to normal after experiencing tonic Seizure.
Colonic Seizure
Often occurred with Tonic Seizures, Colonic Seizures are rhythmic and repeated shaking of muscles that can be of 10-30 second duration.
Myoclonic Seizure
Myoclonic seizures can be defined as spasms of muscles on certain parts of the body and often described as brief electrical shocks . Myoclonic Seizure can also cause the patient to throw or drop objects unconsciously.
Atonic Seizure
Atonic Seizures are loss of muscle tone in effected part of the body. If occurred in legs, it results in falling of the person to the ground.
Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Seizures sometimes may occur with a warning signs and one can minimize the effects of a seizure if notices the warning signs before. Some of warning signs include sudden feeling of anxiousness, changes in vision like blur vision, and changes of color before eyes, lines before eyes etc.; feeling of dizziness and sick stomach feeling can be a warning sign for a seizure.
Symptoms of a seizure
Seizures are of small duration mostly, can range from 10 seconds to 30 seconds, there are many symptoms of a seizure, some of them are described below.
- Uncontrollable muscles spasms are indication of a muscle seizure; you can also identify a seizure if part of your body muscle stops working for a period.
- Experience of a strange taste in your mouth can also lead to the evidence of a seizure experience.
- Rapid, uncontrollable eye moments are also an indication of a seizure.
- Loss of control on bladder or lower body is also one sign of a seizure.
- Blackout of time and feeling of absence is most prominent part of Seizure symptom.
Causes of Seizure
There are many reasons and conditions when a seizure can occur, fever in young children can also cause seizures, and heart illness is also one reason of brain seizures. Heart Disease, Head Injury, Street Drugs, Poising, PKU, Toxemia, Extreme high blood pressure, Brain Tumor, Kidney failure and abnormal levels of sodium can also cause Seizure.
Treatment
Seizures stop by themselves, and their causes are associated with different diseases, by curing that disease you can overcome the seizure, but there are things to do during a seizure as written below
- When seizure occurs, try to lie person down because during a seizure, especially atonic seizure results in person falling on the ground; loosen his clothing; turn the person on side and cushioning persons head may help in ending seizure quickly.
- Doctors should be consulted as soon as First Seizure occurs and even if the person has been experiencing seizures before, doctor should be informed about the duration of a seizure.If two seizures occur at a time, doctor should be notified, and the patient should be hospitalized quickly as it can end up in a coma or many cases, death.
- If a person experiences seizure in water, he should be hospitalized immediately even if the seizure were of minor duration.
Prevention
As described earlier, Seizures cannot be prevented. Even diagnosing of Seizure is a difficult task for physicians, but a healthy lifestyle can prevent seizures and you can prevent seizure by treating diseases that are causing seizures. One should remember that exercises can prevent many diseases, and seizures are one of them. Patients of epilepsy should take their medications as directed by doctors to prevent seizures. Epilepsy can also be treated by a surgery and following Ketogenic diet can also help in the prevention of seizures.
Conclusion
There are many types of Seizures and about 10% of total population experiences seizures, but most of them go unnoticed because their duration is short in initial stages. Chances of experiencing another seizure once you’ve experienced a seizure are 50%. So in order to stay healthy, one should maintain a healthy lifestyle and follow medications and checkup schedules.
References
Asla Pitkänen, Philip A. Schwartzkroin, Solomon L. Moshé. Models of Seizures and Epilepsy. California: f Academic Press. Copyright. , 2005.
French, JA. "Initial Management of Epilepsy." the new England journal of medicine (2008): 166-176.
Hermann Stefan, William H. Theodore. Epilepsy Part II: Treatment: Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Amsterdam: Newnes. Copyright. , 2012.
Schachter, Steven C. An Epilepsy Foundation. 3 7 2013. 7 11 2014. <http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy>.
