How Do Seizures Start?
Other People Are Reading
-
-
Our brain is responsible for managing the essential functions of our body. It does so through electrical activity that takes place within it. If this activity becomes abnormal, a person has a seizure. While many people think of convulsions when they think of seizures, the main activity of a seizure occurs in the brain. Seizures also may be accompanied by strange emotions and behavior and loss of consciousness.
-
Seizures occur in many forms and varying degrees of severity, but they fall under two categories: focal seizures and generalized seizures. When a seizure occurs on one side of the brain, it is called a focal seizure. This is considered to be a partial seizure. When a seizure occurs on both sides of the brain, it is called a generalized seizure.
Seizures can occur at any age, from infancy to the very elderly. While physicians understand the reason for seizures to start in babies and the aged, they are unsure as to why they occur in older children, teenagers and adults. In order to understand how seizures start in these groups, doctors must study the patient while they are undergoing a seizure. If after studying, the patient's doctors are still unable to pinpoint the exact cause of the seizure, they will diagnose the patient with an epileptic syndrome once they have had two or more seizures. Seventy percent of patients who experience seizures do not have a specific cause linked to their condition.
-
-
There are several reasons why someone may experience seizures, all of which are connected to abnormal brain function. These include head injuries, lack of oxygen, brain tumors, a genetic predisposition, infection of the brain from meningitis or encephalitis, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Each year, 180,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed. A third of these patients are either very young children or teenagers. Those over 65 years of age also are more likely to have seizures.
Seizures can be controlled for most patients through medical treatment, such as medication or surgery. Some people may even find that their epilepsy eventually goes away, although medical experts cannot explain the reasons for this. While it is frightening to witness a seizure, most do not cause any permanent brain damage or other long-term injury to the patient. However, a person who experiences frequent seizures most likely will be limited in their independence due to the fact that activities such as operating motor vehicles could be a risk to themselves and others should they have seizures while using them.
-
