Epilepsy Flashcards
What is receptor is responsible for excitatory?
Glutamate
What receptor is responsible for inhibitory?
GABA
How is a seizure defined?
The clinical manifestation resulting from an abnormal or excessive discharge of a set of neurons in the brain.
How is epilepsy defined?
A chronic condition characterized by recurrent (>2) epileptic seizures, unprovoked by any immediate identifiable cause
What are alterations of consciousness, motor, sensory, automatic or psychic events?
Clinical manifestations
What can cause a seizure?
Fever Withdrawal from CNS depressants Metabolic abnormalities Uremia Encephalitis/meningitis Head trauma Brain tumor Stroke Lead poisoning Sleep deprivation Medications
What drugs are known to cause seizures?
Antimicrobials Anesthetics and analgesics Immunosuppressants Psychotropics Radiographic contrast agents Theophylline Sedative hypnotic drug withdrawal Drugs of abuse Flumazenil
Epidemiology of epilepsy
Increases in people >70 y/o
Most common neurological disorder in children
70% of patients can be seizure free with appropriate therapy
Pathophysiology of seizures involves what?
Origination from the gray matter of any cortical area (neurons fire abnormally)
Due to excessive excitation or disordered inhibition of neurons (normal membrane function breakdown, excess excitability)
What are the physiologic consequences of a seizure?
Increased consumption of oxygen & glucose
Increased production of lactate and CO2
Increased cerebral blood flow is generally sufficient to compensate for changes
Brief seizures rarely cause long-term seqeulae
Why don’t you want a seizure to occur over a long period of time?
Seizures cost a lot and take a lot out of a person depriving the brain of oxygen and glucose after a long period of time
What are the physiological consequences of a seizure?
Sympathetic discharge results in tachycardia, HTN, and hyperglycemia
Difficulty maintaining the airway
What results when an airway is not maintained during a seizure?
Hypoxia, hypercarbia, and respiratory acidosis
What results from a prolonged seizure?
Lactic acidosis, rhabdomyolosis, hyperkalemia, hyperthermia, and hypoglycemia.
Diagnosis can be made based on:
Patient hx
PE- neurological findings, cranial nerves, motor function, cerebellar function, and sensory function
Lab- metabolic causes- glucose, electrolytes, calcium, and renal function, also drugs/ETOH screen
EEG
MRI
What is an EEG and what is its significance?
An EEG confirms the presence of electrical activity, classifies the seizure type, and indicates the location of focus.
These are performed w/in 48 hrs of a seizure
More than 1/2 of epileptics initially have normal EEGs
What defines a primary seizure?
No specific anatomic cause and involves chronic treatment
How is secondary epilepsy caused?
Tumors, head injury, hypoglycemia, meningitis, or rapid withdrawal from ETOH. Drugs are used for tx until primary cause is corrected
What is the difference between a focal (partial) and generalized seizure?
The location of the cerebrum where the seizure originates
What is the difference between a simple and complex seizure?
Impairment of consciousness (whether the patient looses consciousness or not.
A seizure that begins in one hemisphere of the brain, has symptoms classified as motor, autonomic, or sensory, has ASYMMETRIC MANIFESTATIONS, and accounts for 80% of all adult epilepsies is what type of seizure?
Focal Seizure
A seizure that begins in BOTH hemispheres of the brain and has BILATERAL MANIFESTATIONS is what type of seizure?
Generalized Seizure
A seizure that does not result in loss of consciousness is a?
Simple focal seizure
A seizure that results in a loss or alteration of consciousness is what type of seizure?
Complex focal seizure