epilepsy symptoms

    Home Health a day Epilepsy Symptoms of epilepsy

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Epilepsy
Characterized by crises and recurrent seizures that involve neurobiological, cognitive and psychological problems, we explain what epilepsy is, its causes, how it manifests and how it is treated.
Written by Esther Martín, Medical student at the University of Alcalá de Henares
Symptoms of epilepsy
Symptoms of epilepsy

An epileptic seizure is considered a symptom, but if it appears in isolation it does not show the existence of epileptic disease.

    What is epilepsy?
    Types of epileptic seizures
    Causes of epilepsy
    Symptoms of epilepsy
    Diagnosis of epilepsy
    Treatment of epilepsy
    Prognosis of epilepsy

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The epileptic symptom par excellence, and the one that defines the disease, is the epileptic crisis, since it is necessary that two or more spontaneous crises occur in order to diagnose this pathology, because you can have an isolated epileptic seizure and this does not It means that you have epilepsy.

Other symptoms of epilepsy are: dizziness, difficulty speaking, feeling of disconnection with the environment, seizures, muscle stiffness, and so on.

On the other hand, it is called epileptic syndrome to the set of symptoms and signs that define an epileptic process by the type of crisis, its natural history, which includes one or several recognized causes, the hereditary predisposition, a certain type of crisis and abnormalities in the EEG, the response to treatment and the prognosis.

The clinical manifestations of an epileptic seizure occur suddenly and their duration is short. They can be motor, sensitive (alterations of vision, taste or hearing), vegetative, psychic, with or without diminution of consciousness. The symptoms depend on the brain area in which the discharge originates, and its extension or not to the brain as a whole. An epileptic seizure is considered a symptom and, on an isolated basis, does not demonstrate the existence of a syndrome or epileptic disease; in fact, 2% to 3% of the population suffers an epileptic seizure at some point in their life.
Triggers

Epileptic seizures may arise in response to various stimuli, and according to the nature thereof are classified as:

    Provoked crisis: it is the one that appears in immediate temporal relation with an acute aggression of the brain such as a stroke, trauma, anoxia (lack of oxygen), encephalitis or an acute toxic metabolic alteration.
    Precipitated crisis: is that which occurs as a consequence of a non-specific factor such as lack of sleep, stress or excessive consumption of alcohol, in a person with or without previous spontaneous crises.
    Reflex crisis: it is the one that happens to a sensory or sensory stimulus.

Activity and referral

An epilepsy is active when the patient has suffered a crisis in the last two years. An epilepsy is in remission if no seizures have occurred in two years. This distinction is important to determine whether the patient should continue or not in pharmacological treatment.