Epilepsy Flashcards
seizures
a seizure is an ocassional and excessive, and a disorderly discharge of nerve tissues on muscle seizure can alter consiousness,senstion and behaviour
seizures with more then 24hrs apart = epilepsy
also u cant directly obseerve a seizure
epilepsy
characterized by reacuring unprovoked seizures (not a singular phenomenon
due to
excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain
reflex epilepsy
Reflex epilepsies occur in response to certain outside stimuli or triggers.
diagnose relies heavely on
EEG
colvulsion
types of spikes
1-lctal
2-interictal
3-postitical
ictal spike
spikes during seizures
interical spike
between seizures
postitical spike
after seizure
epileptic aura
describe the warning they feel before they have a seizure.
( usually a tonic clonic seizure)
not every epiletic will have an aura
auras may involve
epileptic aura is important because :
1- the nature of the aura is predictive of the epileptic focus
2-they warn the person with epilepsy that a seizure will occur
in seizures there are two types
1-Focal Seizure : does not involve the entire brain. usually localized in a single brain area
2-Generalized seizures:involve the entire brain
Secondary generalization
when a Focal seizure evolves to a Generalized seizure
in focal seizures exists:
a) Simple Partial
b) Complex Partial
a) Simple Partial
symptoms are primarily sensory or motor or both
typically no loss of consciousness
b) Complex Partial (most common seizure)
Patients engage in compulsive, repetitive, simple behaviours (automatism) and more complex behaviours that can appear perfectly normal
disruption and/or alteration of consciousness is common
common to also push to the side , turn their neck and pick
Generalized seizures
a) Absence
b)Tonic-Clonic
a) Absence
no significant convulsion
the primary symptoms are:
-loss of consciousness
-cessation of on going behaviour
-vacant look ,fluttering eyelid
Intericals spikes are also very characteristic
b) Tonic-Clonic
tonic-clonic seizures involve both stiffening and twitching or jerking of a person’s muscles
symptoms :
-loss of consciousness
- loss of equilibrium,
-violent tonic-clonic convulsion.
-Tongue-biting, urination,
-cyanosis
risk factors for epilepsy
-Genetics
-Infection
-Injury
-Unknown (most common)
mechanisms (early vs late seizures)
Immediate seizure = occurring within 24h after injury
Early seizure = occur less than 1 week after injury
Late seizure = occur more then 1 week after injury
latent period = time between injury and onset of late seizures
epileptogesis
process of seizure to no seizure
people with epilepsy are more likely to experience
-diabetes
-major depressive dissorder
-anxiety disorders
-migrain hedach
-stroke
-heart disease
common treatment for epilepsy
1-anticonvulsants (have mixed side effects)
2-ketogenic diet
3-Vagus nerve stimulation
ketogenic diet
work better on kids
reduce 50% of symptoms
diet that consists of :
-high fat
-medium protein
-low carb
vagus nerve stimulation
using a pulse generator to protect patients from stress
for several intractable epilepsy ,surgical procedures are sometimes needed
by removing pices of the brain that are mostly effected by sizures
-hipocampus is one region of the brain that is very much known to have seizures
