SEIZURES AND EPILEPSY
What is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures that affect a variety of mental and physical functions. When a person has two or more seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.
What is a Seizure?
A seizure happens when a brief, strong rush of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from convulsions (jerky muscle contractions) and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures, like blank staring or lip-smacking.
Epilepsy vs. Seizures
Seizures are characterized by a sudden change in movement, behavior, sensation or consciousness produced by an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition of spontaneously recurring seizures. Having a single seizure does not necessarily mean a person has epilepsy. High fever, severe head injury, lack of oxygen – a number of factors can cause a single seizure. Epilepsy, on the other hand, tends to be a lifelong condition that affects how electrical energy and connections behave in the brain.
Types of Seizures
There are many different types of seizures. People may experience just one type or more than one. The kind of seizure a person has depends on which part and how much of the brain is affected by the electrical disturbance that produces seizures.
Non-Epileptic Seizures
Nonepileptic seizures briefly change a person’s behavior and often look like epileptic seizures. The person having nonepileptic seizures may feel like they are having an epileptic seizure.
Partial Seizures
Partial seizures produce electrical disturbances that originate in one region of the brain. Partial seizures are subdivided into simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures, and partial seizures with secondary generalization.
Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures that affect a variety of mental and physical functions. When a person has two or more seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.
What is a Seizure?
A seizure happens when a brief, strong rush of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from convulsions (jerky muscle contractions) and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures, like blank staring or lip-smacking.
Epilepsy vs. Seizures
Seizures are characterized by a sudden change in movement, behavior, sensation or consciousness produced by an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition of spontaneously recurring seizures. Having a single seizure does not necessarily mean a person has epilepsy. High fever, severe head injury, lack of oxygen – a number of factors can cause a single seizure. Epilepsy, on the other hand, tends to be a lifelong condition that affects how electrical energy and connections behave in the brain.
Types of Seizures
There are many different types of seizures. People may experience just one type or more than one. The kind of seizure a person has depends on which part and how much of the brain is affected by the electrical disturbance that produces seizures.
Non-Epileptic Seizures
Nonepileptic seizures briefly change a person’s behavior and often look like epileptic seizures. The person having nonepileptic seizures may feel like they are having an epileptic seizure.
Partial Seizures
Partial seizures produce electrical disturbances that originate in one region of the brain. Partial seizures are subdivided into simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures, and partial seizures with secondary generalization.
- Simple partial seizure: People who have simple partial seizures do not lose consciousness during the seizure. Sometimes they can talk quite normally to other people during the seizure and they can usually remember exactly what happened to them while it was going on.
- Complex partial seizure: During a complex partial seizure, a person typically cannot interact normally with other people, has limited or no control of his or her movements, speech or actions, doesn’t know what he or she is doing, and cannot remember afterward what happened during the seizure.
- Partial seizures with secondary generalization: These particular seizures present symptoms that are initially associated with a preservation of consciousness that then evolves into a loss of consciousness and convulsions.
