what causes seizures

what causes seizures




    Seizures Home Page Next Page

    What is a Seizure?

   What is epilepsy?  

What are the different types of seizures?

    What are Febrile Seizures?

   What are some of the possible causes of seizures?


 1. What is a Seizure? A seizure is an abnormal electrical discharge from the brain. This can affect a small focal area of ​​the brain, or the entire (generalized) brain. The area affected by the seizure loses its regular capacity of function and can react without control. For example, if an area of ​​the brain that controls an arm has a seizure, the arm may tremble repeatedly. If a seizure affects the entire brain, all the limbs can shake uncontrollably. Some seizures can occur with staring without reacting. Theoretically, any function of the brain, motor, smell, vision, or emotion can be individually affected by a seizure. Seizures, however, will primarily always follow the same pattern in a given individual.

 2. What is Epilepsy? Epilepsy or convulsive disorder (same sense) are defined by having 2 or more seizures. Seizures should not be a provocative cause. Meaning that there is no immediate connected cause for seizures, such as low blood glucose, exposure to toxins, alcohol withdrawal, the immediate effect of a trauma, and fever in young children (less than 6 years old).

3. What are the different types of seizures? Seizures are usually divided into 2 main types:     Focal: involvement of a limited brain region

     Generalized: involvement of the brain entirely. Therefore always associated with loss of consciousness. Focal seizures can spread to the rest of the brain, thus becoming focal seizures with secondary generalization.   

  Partial (focal) seizures     

    Partial simple seizures (without loss of consciousness)       

      With motor signs (uncontrolled movements of the muscles)        

     With somatosensory or special sensory symptoms (smell, vision ...)           

  With autonomic symptoms (nausea, changes in blood pressure ...)      

       With psychiatric symptoms        

 Partial complex seizures (with loss of consciousness)           

  Simple partial followed by loss of consciousness      

       Taking consciousness from the start         

Partial seizures that evolve to generalized seizures      

       Partial simple with secondary generalization         

    Partial complexes with secondary generalization         

    Simple to complex to generalized     

Generalized seizures     

    Typical absence convulsions (Small evil): it consists in staring for a few seconds and then returning to full function, where the activity was left at the beginning of the seizure, as if nothing happened. The patient has no memory of the event. This is unlike most other seizures that will be followed after the seizure (or postictal) drowsiness and confusion that can be prolonged at times.       

  Mioclinical seizures: It usually presents with rapid muscle jerks. These can be caused by:          

   Benign (non-epileptic myoclonus): similar to the jolts one has when falling asleep.             Benign myoclonic epilepsy: a rare disorder that begins between 4 months and 2 years of age           

  Severe myoclonic epilepsy: a disorder that causes chronic progressive brain damage          

   Lenox-Glastaut syndrome: a severe epileptic disorder, associated with atypical absence (atony and myoclonus), complex and slow spike waves on the EEG, and mental retardation.     

    Clinical convulsions:    

     Tonic convulsions     

    Tonic-Clinical Convulsions (Great Evil)    

     Atonic convulsions: with loss of muscle tone (drop)     

    Unclassified seizures: Seizures that do not belong to the classification above, such as neonatal seizures and febrile seizures.

    4. What are Febrile Seizures?

Definition. Febrile seizures are convulsive events that are considered benign (not associated with serious problems), occurring between 6 months and 6 years of age. The typical febrile convulsions is a convulsive event that lasts approximately one to five minutes. This usually occurs with the rapid rise of fever and consists of rhythmic shaking of the extremities, eye movements, does not react, sometimes cyanosis (bluish discoloration around the mouth and the tips of the extremities), followed by 30 minutes of drowsiness and confusion. When the temperature normalizes, the child can return to normal. Occasionally, the febrile seizure may occur differently, not convulsively (without jerking), presenting with a loss of tone and awareness or with body stiffness.

Complex features Some children may have complex febrile seizures. The complex features include the following:

    Duration, more than 20 minutes
    Focal when the seizure occurs on one side of the body
    Multiple, when more than one seizure occurs during a 24-hour period

The importance of complex traits is of a higher risk of future epilepsy; The more complex the traits, the higher the risk of epilepsy or seizure without fever. Usually if a child has a simple febrile seizure the risk of epilepsy is 2% compared to 1% in the general population. The risk of future febrile seizures is approximately 30%, or 50% if the first seizure occurs before one year of age. Also, the lower the temperature that caused the first febrile seizure, the higher the risk for future febrile seizure events.

Treatment. Treatment for febrile seizure is usually unnecessary. The decrease in temperature with Tylenol or Motrin is usually ineffective. Anticonvulsants can be used in unusual situations, usually continuous phenobarbital or Depakene (Depakene after 3 years of age). Oral valium as a premedication, given intermittently during febrile illnesses, is very effective and does not require the administration of continuous medications and monitoring. This is my first choice for febrile seizures that requires treatment.

Long-term effects. Febrile convulsions, are not considered, that cause damage to the brain. Studies have shown no difference in intelligence between children who suffer from febrile seizures with their siblings (or twins) who do not have febrile seizures. Some recent studies even suggest that memory functions improve in children who have had febrile seizures.

Complications Complications of febrile seizures are rare and have to do mainly with focal and prolonged febrile seizures. Future epilepsy, especially with recurrent focal seizures, has been reported. Respiratory compromise is rare and may be caused by prolonged seizures that affect the respiratory muscles and breathing.

Medial temporal sclerosis, or scarring of the inner part of the temporal lobe, called the hippocampus, is a condition "thought to be caused by recurrent focal febrile seizures." The hippocampus, if damaged, is highly epileptigenic (causing seizures). If the median temporal sclerosis develops, it has to do with a form of epilepsy (partial complex seizures), difficult to control.This, however, is a rare and questionable complication of febrile seizures.

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5. What are some possible causes of seizures?

The causes of seizures include the immediate causes for acute seizures and chronic causes for epilepsy or a seizure disorder. Acute causes include hypoglycemia (low blood sugar, hypocalcemia (low blood calcium), meningitis, bacterial toxins such as shigella), alcohol withdrawal, environmental toxins, electric shock, and side effects of medications. An overdose of penicillin can also cause seizures. Chronic causes of epilepsy include genetic epilepsy (benign rolandic, absent and juvenile myoclonic epilepsies are some examples), cerebral congenital malformation associated with some neurocutaneous disorders (tubero-sclerosis,
neurofibromatosis), migratory defects (where gray matter migrates to the wrong brain region during early development.) Other causes include chronic effects of trauma or infection that caused brain damage or damage to an area called the hippocampus in the temporal central lobe that Being damaged, it becomes very epileptigenic.