Definition of Seizures:

A seizure is a sudden change in behavior due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

Considerations:

There are a wide variety of possible symptoms of seizures, depending on what parts of the brain are involved. Many types of seizures cause loss of awareness and some cause twitching or shaking of the body.

However, some seizures may be hard to notice because they consist of staring spells that can easily go unnoticed. Occasionally, seizures can cause temporary changes in sensation or vision.

Seizures are classified as involving a small part of the brain (focal) and then spreading, or as involving the whole brain (generalized). Focal seizures can be "simple" (there is no change in memory or awareness) or "complex" (there is loss of memory or a change in awareness) . Seizures may also be classified as generalized (whole body affected) or focal (only one part or side of the body is affected).

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder with recurrent seizures. Some types of epilepsy run in families.

See also:

• Absence (petit mal) seizure
• Epilepsy
• Fever (febrile) convulsions (seizures in children with high fever)
• Generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure
• Partial (focal) seizure
• Temporal lobe seizure

Symptoms of seizures come on suddenly, over just seconds to a minute, and include:

• Change in consciousness, so that you can't remember some period of time
• Change in emotion, like unexplainable fear, panic, joy, or laughter
• Change in sensation of the skin, usually spreading over the arm, leg, or trunk
• Changes in vision, including flashing lights, or (rarely) hallucinations (seeing things that aren't there)
• Loss of muscle control and falling, often very suddenly
• Muscle movement such as twitching that might spread up an arm or leg
• Muscle tension/tightening that causes twisting of the body, head, arms or legs
• Tasting a bitter or metallic flavor

Symptoms may stop after a few minutes, or continue for 15 minutes. They rarely continue longer.

Shaking of the entire body when it occurs should last a few minutes and stop within 5 minutes.

Common Causes:

Some of the more common causes of seizures include:

Developmental problems, genetic conditions present at birth, or injuries near the time of birth (seizures usually begin in infancy or early childhood):

• Brain injury (see:Injury or trauma to the head)
  • early seizures (within 2 weeks of injury) don't necessarily mean that a seizure disorder (epilepsy) will develop
  • most common in young adults
  • seizures usually begin within 2 years after injury

Metabolic abnormalities (problems with the body's chemistry) can happen at any age and can result from:

• Complications of diabetes
• Kidney failure and uremia (the toxic accumulation of wastes in the body)
• Liver failure
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Phenylketonuria (PKU) -- this can cause seizures in infants)
• Use of cocaine, amphetamines, alcohol, or certain other recreational drugs
• Withdrawal from alcohol
• Withdrawal from drugs, particularly barbiturates and benzodiazepines

Other causes include:

• Infections
  • acute, severe infections of any part of the body
  • brain abscess
  • brain infections such as meningitis and encephalitis can produce seizures
  • can happen in people of all ages
  • chronic infections (such as neurosyphilis)
    • complications of AIDS or other immune disorders
    • may be a reversible cause of seizures (not continue)

• Tumors (see:brain tumor) and brain lesions (such as bleeding in the brain)
  • may affect any age person but are most common after age 30
  • may lead to generalized (tonic-clonic) seizures
  • partial (focal) seizures are most common to start with