Definition of Seizures:

A seizure is the physical findings or changes in behavior that occur after an episode of abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

See also:

• Generalized tonic clonic seizure
• Partial (focal) seizure
• Petit mal (absence) seizure
• Epilepsy
• Fever (febrile) convulsions (seizures in children with high fever)

Considerations:

It may be hard to tell if someone is having a seizure. Some seizures only cause a person to have staring spells, which may go unnoticed. Specific symptoms of a seizure depend on what part of the brain is involved. They occur suddenly and may include:

• Change in alertness; the person cannot remember a period of time
• Mood changes, such as unexplainable fear, panic, joy, or laughter
• Change in sensation of the skin, usually spreading over the arm, leg, or trunk
• Vision changes, including seeing flashing lights
• Rarely, hallucinations (seeing things that aren't there)
• Falling, loss of muscle control, occurs very suddenly
• Muscle twitching that may spread up or down an arm or leg
• Muscle tension or tightening that causes twisting of the body, head, arms, or legs
• Shaking of the entire body
• Tasting a bitter or metallic flavor

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

Common Causes:

Causes of seizures can include:

• Abnormal levels of sodium or glucose in the blood
• Brain injury (such as stroke or a head injury)
• Brain injury that occurs to the baby during labor or childbirth
• Brain problems that occur before birth (congenital brain defects)
• Brain tumor or bleeding in the brain
• Dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease
• High fever
• Illnesses that cause the brain to deteriorate
• Infections that affect the brain, such as meningitis, encephalitis, neurosyphilis, or AIDS
• Kidney or liver failure
• Phenylketonuria (PKU), which can cause seizures in infants
• Use of illegal street drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines
• Withdrawal from alcohol after drinking a lot on most days
• Withdrawal from certain drugs, including some painkillers and sleeping pills

Sometimes no cause can be identified. This is called idiopathic seizures. They usually are seen in children and young adults but can occur at any age. There may be a family history of epilepsy or seizures.

If seizures repeatedly continue after the underlying problem is treated, the condition is called epilepsy.