Seizure

Description

It is an unconstrained, sudden and unusual electrical brain activity. It can cause unconsciousness, fits, behavioural changes and change in movement. Usually seizures last for a few seconds or minutes, a seizure that lasts longer requires immediate medical help.

Seizures are classified as:

Generalized seizure: a kind of seizure that involves the entire brain. It is further divided into:
1. Tonic seizures: it affects the muscles of back, arms and legs and may cause you to fall down.
2. Clonic seizure: it usually affects the neck, face and arms of both sides and is characterized with repeated muscle movement.
3. Tonic-clonic: characterized with stiffening of muscle and jerky movements of limbs. It is the most common type of seizure and also known as grand mal seizure.
4. Absence seizure: it lasts only for a few seconds and causes you to lose alertness. They are also known as petit mal seizures.
5. Febrile seizures: harmless seizures due to high fever in children.
6. Infantile seizures: found in babies that causes the stiffening of arms and legs and causes the head to bend forward.
7. Atonic seizures: a seizure that causes you to fall down. It is also known as drop seizure.
8. Myoclonic seizure: sudden twitching of arms and legs.

Partial seizure: unusual electrical activity of a part of the brain, they are also known as focal seizures. They are further divided into:
1. Focal seizure with impaired awareness: it can cause unconsciousness and may cause you to do actions without knowing.
2. Focal seizure without loss of awareness: you remain conscious during this type of seizure but it may cause you to lose sense of taste, smell, touch or sound for a short while.

Causes

Causes of seizure include the following:

Cancer,
Drug withdrawal,
Alcohol withdrawal,
Stroke,
Head injury,
Damage to the vessel of brain,
High fever,
COVID-19 etc.

Risk factors

Cancer or tumor of brain or neck.
Bacterial infection of the brain (meningitis)
Narcotic drugs (cocaine, heroin) and alcohol withdrawing symptoms.
A family history of seizures and epilepsy.

Symptoms

Seizures can either be in the whole brain presenting a regular episode or can be partial (part of the brain involved) with a little consciousness.

Breathing stops for a while, head jerks sideways and the legs and arms stiffen up and move in an awkward angle called tonic-clonic
Temporary loss of consciousness like blacking out (for few minutes) in children suffering from absence seizures.
In Atonic seizures, the muscle tone is lost for a few seconds, causing the person to fall or drop whatever they’re holding.
After an infection causing high-grade fever, children may get an episode of shaking body lasting a few minutes.
Infants and toddlers who show signs of sudden body stiffness are prone to getting epilepsy in later life.
Being unable to respond even if having consciousness.
Being confused and getting hallucinations (seeing things that aren’t present).
Saying and doing things without knowing during a seizure, like smacking lips, moving legs, chewing tongue, laughing or crying and sometimes even gagging.
Uncontrolled bladder and bowel movements (passing urine and stool) during a seizure.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made on the basis of history and physical examinations, blood tests, neurological exam, MRI, CT Scan, lumbar puncture, electroencephalogram and other tests on the basis of the medical condition of the patients.

Management

In order to treat and manage seizures some medications and medical procedures are used and lifestyle changes are made.

Following steps are taken for the management of seizure:

Medication: which include anti seizure medicines.
Lifestyle changes; a ketogenic diet, take enough sleep, exercise, avoid alcohol.
Electrical stimulation
Surgery

When to consult a doctor?

Seek immediate medical help if seizure lasts longer, you experience recurrent seizures, unconsciousness during seizure or any injury during a seizure.