Information produced: August 2 In an atonic seizure (or 'drop attack') the person's muscles suddenly relax and they become floppy. If they are standing they often fall, usually forwards, and may injure the front of their head or face. Like tonic seizures, atonic seizures tend to be brief and happen without warning. With both tonic and atonic seizures people usually recover quickly, apart from possible injuries. Tonic clonic seizures These are the seizures that most people think of as epilepsy. the person becomes unconscious their body goes stiff and if they are standing up they usually fall backwards. they jerk and shake as their muscles relax and tighten rhythmically. Focal aware seizures In focal aware seizures (FAS), previously called simple partial seizures, the person is conscious (aware and alert) and will usually know that something is happening and will remember the seizure afterwards. Focal impaired awareness seizures Focal impaired awareness seizures (FIAS) affect a bigger part of one hemisphere (side) of the brain than focal aware seizures.
Structural abnormalities that occur during brain development, such as infections (meningitis or encephalitis) or lack of oxygen to the brain during birth or after a stroke can also be causes of epilepsy. Brain injuries that result in development in scar tissue is also a predisposing factor for the development of epilepsy. [5] Treatments [ edit | edit source] Medical Management: medication is the first step of management of epilepsy, and for up to 70% of people this can lead to complete seizure control when coupled with a sensible lifestyle, which allows a full and active lifestyle to be possible. [1] Surgery: For certain types of epilepsy, this treatment option can offer a possibility of a seizure free life or a reduction in the amount of seizures. [1] Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS): a pace-maker device periodically stimulates the left vagus nerve in the neck, which reduces the frequency and intensity of seizures. [1] Complementary Therapies: many alternative options used to improve health, combat illness or in hope to prolong life.
Do not leave them until the seizure has subsided – usually after about 2 minutes – and they have regained full awareness. 3. Secondary generalized seizures. These will typically start out as a regular focal seizure, only to evolve into a generalized, tonic-clonic seizure. In this case, you should follow the same guidelines as those outlined above. Non-epileptic seizures (NES), or " psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, " are not linked to abnormal electrical activity in the brain in the same way that epileptic seizures are. Instead, these are often caused by psychological factors, such as exposure to extreme stress, or are linked to psychiatric disorders. These types of seizure are normally of three kinds: Share on Pinterest Other conditions and disorders can cause non-epileptic seizures. A panic attack, for instance, can manifest in a similar way to a regular seizure. dissociative, which means that the person experiencing them has no awareness of, or control over, the event panic attacks, which can make the person feel faint and be unable to breathe, and which make their heart race brought on by a psychiatric disorder that makes the person to want to "trigger" or "stage" a seizure because they want to attract a degree of medical or social attention Dissociative seizures and panic attacks are the most common NES.
By Stacey Chillemi; Orrin Devinsky, M. D. I have had epilepsy since the age of five, but I never realized how scary seizures can look until I saw a YouTube video of someone having a tonic-clonic (formerly known as grand mal) seizure. For someone who is unfamiliar with epilepsy, witnessing a seizure could be frightening enough to make it difficult to offer help. The best thing to do is to stay calm. I have learned from experience that the more you teach people about epilepsy, the less they fear it and the calmer they are in the face of a seizure. My three kids had a hard time understanding my epilepsy when they were young. The few times they saw me have a seizure were terrifying for them. One day I sat down and told them a story, through pictures, about what epilepsy is and what to do if someone has a seizure. It really helped. I also gave them plenty of reassurance that a seizure only lasts a short time and then everything will be back to normal. My neurologist, Orrin Devinsky, M. D., believes that first aid for seizures is essential for family members and others to know.
Last Updated: August 3, 2020 Was this helpful? (61) Getty Seizures are uncontrollable events that occur when there is a sudden, abnormal burst of electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can be frightening for the person having one and for the people who see the seizure. But seizures are not always the grand mal-type with whole-body convulsions. Seizures can be subtle. Seizure symptoms vary from blank staring to brief loss of consciousness to convulsions. Here are seven tips to help you know what to do when a seizure happens. When a seizure happens the main priority is to keep the person safe until the seizure stops by itself. There is nothing you can do to stop the seizure once it starts. Stay calm and reassure others to stay calm. Most seizures only last a few minutes. Gently ease the person to the ground. Positioning them on one side helps keep their airway open. Place their head on something soft and flat, such as a folded jacket or backpack. Don't try to hold the person down if he or she is jerking.
Thus, doctors should not continue "to make knee-jerk decisions" to wait to see if a second seizure occurs, Krumholz said. Doctors must also remember that a so-called first seizure might not actually be the first, because seizures can go undetected, French stressed. The guideline, in short, summarizes all that is known about controlling seizures and defines the uncertainties of the risks in language for both the doctor and the patient. While the thought of taking anti-epileptic drugs for the 25- to 50-percent chance of recurrence may seem extreme to some, French said this is much like taking a statin drug to reduce the risk of a heart attack. The risk of a second seizure, in this comparison, is far greater than the risk of a heart attack faced by most of those prescribed statins, she said. "When you start on a medication, you haven't decided if you are going to marry it. You're just dating, " French said. "You have time to figure out if this is going to work out for you or not. The good news is that there are a number of drugs we could give you in 2015 [to effectively control seizure recurrence] that don't have serious, life-threatening side effects. "
Status in a tonic clonic seizure is a medical emergency and the person will need urgent medical help. It is important to call for an ambulance if the seizure goes on for more than 5 minutes. See when to dial 999. Some people are prescribed emergency medication, either buccal midazolam or rectal diazepam, to stop their seizures. Carers need training in giving emergency medication. It is important for the person to have an individualised written protocol (plan) about when to give it, for the carer to follow. More information about our emergency medication training. How else can I help? Checking the length of a seizure is essential in avoiding status (see above). Another important reason to check the time and note the length of a seizure is so that you can pass this information on afterwards to the person who has had the seizure. Many people keep a record of their seizures, and a description of the seizure and how long it lasted can be vital information for them to record, and pass on to their specialist.