Synonym
Seizure
Definition
An epileptic seizure is a temporary malfunction of the nerve cells of the whole brain or parts of it. Typical of a seizure is the sudden onset of the dysfunction, which can manifest itself for example by muscle twitches, but also by sensitive symptoms such as tingling. The epileptic seizure is clinically divided into its seizure form and can occur once or extremely rarely and is then called an occasional seizure.
For example, children who have seizures due to an infection suffer an occasional seizure. It is also important to note that an epileptic seizure is not synonymous with the diagnosis of epilepsy, as the seizure is merely a symptom. You can find out more about epilepsy here: epilepsy.
Frequency
The epileptic seizure is not rare, in fact it is a fairly common event. Especially children under rapidly rising fever can suffer a seizure more easily. Up to the age of 80, about 10% of the population has had epileptic seizures about once or several times, but a maximum of 0.5-0.6% of the population suffers from the clinical picture of epilepsy.
Basically, every person can have one or more seizures, since every brain has the ability to generate an epileptic seizure. Especially if a brain is acutely damaged or if certain risk factors exist, seizures occur more easily. Among these factors are:
- Poisoning
- Serious infectious diseases
- Oxygen deficiency
- Blood sugar drop
- Brain injuries caused by accidents
- Sleep deprivation
- Alcohol consumption and alcohol withdrawal
- Drugs
- Meningitis.
Symptoms
As already mentioned, epileptic seizures can affect small areas of the brain or all neurons (=neurons) in the brain. The symptoms are just as varied: Normally, an epileptic seizure lasts no longer than two minutes. Some are responsive or slightly clouded during the seizure, others seem to have lost consciousness completely.
In most cases, the affected persons are still a little dazed after their seizure and need a little time to recover. If someone has frequent seizures, the type of seizure can often be determined, which means that their seizures usually always run the same way. Classical, generalized, epileptic seizures can also present themselves in very different ways, but are always accompanied by a disturbance of consciousness.
This means that the affected person is not conscious and usually cannot react adequately to, for example, a response. In most cases there are no memories of the seizure afterwards. In addition, there is a sudden slackening of the entire musculature (atonic phase), which results in a fall in which the affected person is unable to catch himself and can therefore be seriously injured.
At the beginning of an epileptic seizure there is often a tonic phase, which means that the entire musculature of the affected person is at maximum tension. Arms and legs are usually overstretched. Further components of the seizures are jerky, unsystematic muscle twitches (so-called myoclonies), especially in the arms and legs.
These can change into rhythmic muscle twitches (clonic phase). After the actual seizure, one speaks of a post-ictal phase in which the affected person sleeps or is confused. In a real epileptic seizure, breathing usually stops, which causes the lips and face of the affected person to turn blue during the seizure.
The eyes are usually open during a seizure. An important term that should be associated with seizure patterns is the term aura. This is because some seizures begin with a typical aura. The person who is about to have a seizure notices strange sensations like: By means of certain aura forms, the cause or the area of the brain in which an epileptic seizure is generated can be found.
- Motor disorders can occur such as muscle twitching of a single muscle group such as the biceps – upper arm muscle.
- Likewise, sensory signs (affecting the senses) may also be present during a seizure, such as a strange unexplainable olfactory perception.
- Other affected persons seem to be lost for a short moment or nestle on their clothes.
- Visual disorders
- Tingling
- Hallucinations
- A strange feeling in the stomach
- The feeling of floating
- Concentration disorders
- Strange smell or even taste impressions.
