Seizures can have a wide variety of causes. If appropriate causes are known, the risk of seizures can often be limited.
What are seizures?
In addition to acute febrile illnesses and lack of fluids, various everyday influences can also cause seizures. These everyday influences include loud sounds and/or music or flickering lights. Seizures are sudden and abnormal electrical discharges that originate from the nerve cells of the brain. As a rule, seizures take place involuntarily (i.e., they cannot be influenced voluntarily). Seizures are often accompanied by twitching or spasmodic movements of an affected person’s muscles. In some cases, however, seizures can also manifest themselves in an abrupt loss of muscle tension. Seizures that occur are often associated with temporary changes in the consciousness of the affected person. A distinction is made between tonic and clonic seizures, for example:
Tonic seizures involve prolonged muscle contractions, while clonic seizures are manifested by rapid successive twitching of the muscles. While so-called focal seizures are usually confined to single muscle groups, generalized seizures often spread over large parts of the body.
Causes
Seizures can have a variety of causes. For example, various seizures can occur as part of an existing epilepsy (a disease of the brain). Brain tumors can also be a cause of seizures that occur. Another possible cause of seizures is the occurrence of inflammations affecting the meninges or the brain. Likewise, various metabolic disorders or a reduced oxygen supply that affects the entire body can promote seizures. Seizures are also possible symptoms of acute withdrawal; for example, withdrawal from medication or alcohol can cause corresponding seizures. Likewise, however, sleep deprivation or a constant lack of sleep is also a possible cause of seizures. In addition to acute febrile illnesses and lack of fluids, various everyday influences can also cause seizures. These everyday influences include loud sounds and/or music, for example, or flickering lights that occur, such as those that may emanate from video games, the television, or even the microwave oven.
Diseases with this symptom
- Epilepsy
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Stroke
- Wernicke’s encephalopathy
- Brain tumor
- Early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE)
- Poisoning
- Alcohol addiction
- Metabolic disorder
- Brain inflammation
- Hypoxia
- Drug addiction
Diagnosis and course
Acute seizures can be recognized as such in many cases due to the physical reactions of an affected person. If the cause of seizures is to be diagnosed, the first step is usually a patient interview, during which, for example, previous illnesses and situations in which seizures have occurred in the past are inquired about. Depending on the suspected diagnosis, various examinations can provide information about possible diseases that trigger seizures in an affected person. These include blood tests, tests of neurological functions such as balance or coordination, and examinations of brain waves using an EEG (electroencephalogram). The course of seizures depends, among other things, on their cause and the therapeutic measures taken. If the causes of seizures can be eliminated, it is often possible to combat the seizures that do occur. In the case of chronic diseases as the cause of seizures, the severity and frequency of seizures can often be positively influenced by medical measures.
When should you see a doctor?
Seizures are a painful symptom and indicate a serious underlying condition. A visit to the doctor is recommended if seizures occur repeatedly, increase in intensity and length, or cause excessive stress to the affected person in everyday life. If seizures occur spontaneously, there is an increased risk of accidents on the road or during manual work.At the latest when the cramps lead to an impairment of everyday life, a doctor must clarify the causes. If the cause remains untreated, it can lead to organ damage and further complaints, among other things. If breathing difficulties or physical loss of function, such as unconsciousness or sensory disturbances, occur during a seizure, emergency medical attention should be sought immediately. Seizures lasting longer than five minutes are also an emergency and require prompt treatment. In the case of epileptic seizures, the attending physician should also be informed. Together, the necessary first aid measures can be carried out until the emergency medical services arrive. Other contacts are neurologists, neurosurgeons and internal medicine physicians, depending on the cause.
Complications
Seizures are typically a symptom of an epileptic seizure. Usually, these are short-lived and end after a few minutes without further consequences. However, in some cases, status epilepticus occurs, which is a medical emergency. This is a chronically existing seizure of varying severity usually the affected person suffers from a tonic-clonic epileptic seizure lasting over 20 minutes without any recovery. It is also called status epilepticus when several seizures follow each other while the patient is in a state of unconsciousness. Without medical treatment, about ten percent of those affected die as a result of status epilepticus. Increased intracranial pressure can also be the cause of a seizure. If this is not reduced, it can have life-threatening consequences. There is a high risk of entrapment of vital brain structures. Lower entrapment in particular is life-threatening; it involves the squeezing of structures of the cerebellum through the large opening in the skull, so that the spinal cord and the medulla oblongata are pressed against the bone and thus constricted. This is where vital centers for breathing or circulation, among other things, are located. If this is not treated in time, it can lead to respiratory arrest, which in turn can quickly lead to death.
Treatment and therapy
How and whether seizures are treated medically depends on both the form of seizures that occur and the cause of the seizures. A distinction can be made between acute treatment of seizures that occur and treatment of the cause: more severe seizures that involve a temporary loss of consciousness are often associated with various risks of injury. For example, it may be necessary to treat injuries resulting from falls during corresponding seizures. Depending on the severity of the seizures and the patient, severe seizures may also need to be relieved with anticonvulsant medications (such as Valium). If an affected person has been diagnosed with a disease as the cause of seizures, another important therapy component is the treatment of the underlying disease. If a corresponding disease cannot be completely cured, for example, the risk of seizures occurring can be reduced by giving medication over a longer period of time.
Outlook and prognosis
A physician should always be notified in cases of seizures, not localized seizures such as those caused by exercise, regardless of how severe the seizures were and whether they resulted in pain. It is a serious symptom that must be treated by a doctor in any case. If seizures are not treated, they can occur with increased frequency and make the patient’s daily life very difficult. The quality of life decreases enormously due to seizures, as the patient can no longer perform certain things on his own. In the worst case, cardiac arrest occurs after a seizure. Seizures also often result in broken bones, falls or bites to the tongue. The affected people thus often injure themselves without knowing it. Treatment is usually with the help of medication, and there is no surgical intervention. Whether treatment will be successful depends heavily on the patient’s history and cannot be universally predicted. However, treatments often lead to success if treatment is started early enough. This can prevent late effects and further injuries.
Prevention
If the causes causing seizures are known in an individual case, individual cause control is usually an appropriate measure to prevent recurrence of seizures. If cause control is limited, for example, injury during severe seizures can be prevented in acute cases: For example, in very severe seizures, a biting wedge can prevent injuries in the oral cavity and/or clearing the airway can prevent respiratory distress.
What you can do yourself
In most cases, seizures cannot and should not be treated at home, but always by a doctor. Even if the seizures are very brief and infrequent, they should still be examined by a doctor. Serious illnesses may be behind the seizures. In general, stress reduction and relaxation therapy have a positive effect on seizures. Especially before going to bed, stress reduction exercises or yoga should be practiced to avoid nocturnal seizures. Before going to bed and in the morning with breakfast, it is also recommended to take magnesium, this can prevent seizures. In most cases, however, the reason for the seizures must be diagnosed by a doctor. Only then can the patient do something about the symptom himself. In any case, a healthy lifestyle and diet have a positive effect on seizures and can prevent them. If the seizures occur mainly during sports, the corresponding areas of the body should not be subjected to excessive stress. Seizures can cause severe injuries and, in the worst case, death. Therefore, seizures must always be examined by a doctor, even if they occur rarely and seem harmless. Incorrect home treatment can lead to serious consequences.
