What is an Epileptic Seizure?
Definition, Symptoms, and Demographics for Epilepsy
Certain signs and symptoms indicate epilepsy, a common neurological illness. This disorder can strike at any age, for different reasons.
An Epileptic Seizure
Seizures are defined as sudden changes in the electrical functioning of the brain, resulting in altered behaviors. These usually happen in the cortex, or outside rim of the brain. An epileptic seizure has a definite beginning, middle, and end. It is thought to be the result of a brain injury, infection, heredity, or just idiopathic, or with no known cause. If you have one seizure, you have a fifty percent chance of having a second one in the next six months. If you have a second seizure, the likelihood of return goes up to 80%. Epilepsy is said to be the result of a person having two or more of these seizures.
Who Gets Epilepsy
Epilepsy affects all age groups. It tends to affect men more than women. In children, the cause is generally unknown or genetic, and the risk is highest in the first year of life, declining until the age of ten. People aged 10-55 will most likely develop epileptic seizures from brain injuries or infections (trauma, tumors, encephalitis/meningitis.) As people approach 55+ years, the risk for epilepsy again increases because of strokes, brain tumors, or Alzheimer's disease (all sources of injury to the brain.) At every stage in life, 50% of epileptic seizures are of unknown origin.
Some Epileptic Seizure Symptoms
Early Symptoms (auras or warnings)
- unusual smell, sound, taste, or visual perception
- fear/panic
- dizziness, headache, lightheadedness, nausea, numbness
- sometimes no warnings
Seizure Symptoms
- confusion, loss of consciousness, spaceyness
- visual, smelling,and/or hearing difficulties
- twitching, shaking, stiffening, tongue biting, incontinence, falling, drooling, eyelid fluttering
After Seizure Symptoms
- confusion, memory loss
- writing difficulties
- depression, fear, frustration/shame
- nausea, headache, pain, thirst, weakness
- injuries
- exhaustion/sleeping
For more information, read Childhood Epilepsy and Epilepsy Support Groups.
For related information, check out the Neurological ARTICLE INDEX and Blog.
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