3.8 Seizure Intro Flashcards
- What’s a seizure?
2. What’s epilepsy?
- episode of abnormally synchronized and fast-firing of neurons in the brain + abnormal behavior or experience
- disorder of recurrent unprovoked seizures.
Most common seizures in infancy and childhood?
febrile seizures, congenital disorders, perinatal injury.
Most common cause in patients over 60:
cerebrovascular disease
Simple vs Complex seizure
Complex: consciousness is compromised
Simple: no compromised
Partial vs Generalized seizure
Generalized: whole brain affected
Partial : focal
Petit Mal vs Grand Mal seizure:
(both of these are generalized)
Grand Mal: full-blown tonic-clonic seizure
Petit Mal: absence seizures
Myoclonic
(sudden, rapid, muscular jerk, fastest of all movement disorders (after tremor) can be focal unilateral or bilateral
Clonic
rhythmic jerking
Tonic
sustained contraction
Atonic
no tone
Ictal vs interictal vs postictal
Ictal: during the seizure
interictal: between seizure events
post ictal: after the seizure
Automatisms
repetitive behaviors: lip smacking, swallowing, stroking wringing, patting (stereotyped hand movements)
Status Epilepticus
long seizure
aura
Brief, simple partial seizures with no behavioral manifestation
your pt has generalized, provoked (organ failure on scheme) seizure. what’s on the differential?
+Lots of stuff. mostly drug and alcohol intoxication/withdrawal or electrolyte imbalance.
- Alcohol & drug withdrawal
- Drug intoxication (Iatrogenic seizures)
- Hyponatremia, hypernatremia
- Hypomagnesium
- Hypocalcemia (thyroid or parathyroid surgery)
- Hypoglycemia (diabetics on insulin)
- Nonketotic hyperglycemia
- Uremia (Renal failure)
- Hypoxia (Cardiac or respiratory arrest)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome
- Porphyria
