Faints, fits and funny turns Flashcards
What do you want to know when taking a history (9)
- Frequency: how often, single event, recurrent
- Timing- certain time if the day e.g., during sleep
- Trigger- tiredness, travel, exercise
- Warning beforehand- called an aura
- Duration- how long, if it occurs in clusters, if consciousness was regained halfway through
- Colour change- pallor, cyanosis
- Alteration in consciousness- is it impaired
- Recovery and any symptoms afterwards- does the child behave normally
- Record accurately- what happened just before, during and after the event
- What is a paroxysmal event
- Are they epileptic or non-epileptic?
- A seizure
- They can be epileptic or non-epileptic
Are epileptic seizures provoked?
How often do they occur?
Is an acute symptomatic seizure secondary to acute insults classed as epilepsy?
epileptic seizures are unprovoked and recurrent
Acute symptomatic seizures secondary to acute insults are NOT epilepsy E.g., if anyone’s blood glucose drops low enough, they will have a seizure
What is the value of EEG?
Role of EEG is limited and must be used judiciously, as both false positives and false negatives occur.
EEG only answers what type of seizures not where the seizures are.
Name 8 general descriptions (phenotypes) of seizures
- Tonic
- Clonic
- Atonic
- Myoclonic
- Vacant
- Focal seizures complex
- Focal seizures simple
- Focal with secondary generalisation
Tonic seizure
a prolonged period of contraction of one or several muscle groups
Rigidity- Body straightens and stiffens.
Clonic seizure
Clonic- rhythmic contractions followed by a slower relaxation phase. (febrile seizures usually tonic-clonic).
Myoclonic seizure
brief
fast contraction followed by muscle relaxation
Vacant seizure
- Absences-
- characterised by arrest of activity
- are brief and multiple
- vacant gaze
- with automatism such as lip smacking, eyelid flickering.
Focal seizure (complex)
UNconsciousness
affects certain part of the brain
action doesnt spread and affects discrete parts of the body (e.g., one arm repeatedly contracting)
Focal seizure (simple)
- characterised bY consciousness
- Affects certain parts of the brain that doesn’t spread
- Affects discrete parts of the body (e.g., one arm repeatedly contracting)
Focal seizures with secondary generalisation
starts in one area and spreads elsewhere (treat with carbamezapine)
Non epileptic conditions (12) non essential bar febrile seizures
- Benign neonatal sleep myoclonus
- Benign neonatal seizures
- Hypoglycaemia
- Day 3 seizures
- Parasomias
- Syncope
- Cyanotic breath holding spells
- Reflex anoxic seizures (pallid syncope)
- Sandifer syndrome with GORD
- Hyperekplexia
- Daydreaming
- Febrile seizures, tics, infantile shudder, shivering due to excitement, cataplexy
Cyanotic breath holding spells
cyring convulsion and blue spells
Reflex anoxic seizures (pallid syncope)-
usually caused by an acute painful event.