Seizure Flashcards
What is seizure?
A seizure is an episode of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. a single event of electrical discharge in the brain resulting in an abrupt and altered state of cerebral function.
What is epilepsy
Epilepsy is a diagnosis given when a person has two or more unprovoked seizure
seizure disorder of abnormal, recurring, excessive and self terminating electrical discharge from neurons.
How many types of generalised seizures are there?
• Tonic Clonic Seizures (Grand mal)
Absence Seizures (Petit mal)
How many types of partial seizure are there?
Partial Seizures.
Complex partial
What are the symptoms of a tonic clonic seizure ( grand mal)
- Sudden loss of consciousness
- Muscle rigidity and stiffening
- Jerking movements
- Shrill cry
- Incontinence
- Apnea (pt may turn blue)
- Dilated Pupils
What are the symptoms of an absence seizure?
Brief loss of consciousness, interrupts an activity and stares blankly.
May occur several time a day
Symptoms of partial seizure
- No alteration or loss of consciousness
- There could subjective symptoms reported by
the patients in absence of objective signs (smell,
sound, taste or visual perception) - Pt remains awake and aware, sometimes unable
to communicate until the seizure is over
Symptoms of complex partial
- Alteration of consciousness (Not complete loss of consciousness)
- Automatisms: Simple repetitive uncontrollable actions performed during the seizure.
a. b. c. - Patient cannot remember what happened
- This is the most common seizure by those
diagnosed with epilepsy.
Lip smacking Chewing
Picking at clothes, etc - Patient has no awareness of what they are doing
What are the possible causes of seizure?
- Trauma
- Drug overdose
- Alcohol or drug withdrawal
- Non-compliance of anti-epileptic medications
- Stroke
- Febrile
- Intracranial processes and increase in intracranial pressure. E.g. tumors. A seizure
occurring in an adult without any obvious underlying cause like alcohol, etc should be
evaluated for brain cancer. - Infections. E.g. Meningitis
- Metabolic and electrolyte imbalance. E.g. Uremia and Hyponatremia
what are the causes of non epileptic seizure?
stress
psychological induced
what are the causes of provoked seizure?
trauma
hypoglycaemia
hyponatremia
drug abuse
what is Idiopathic partial epilepsy
Begins in childhood and maybe part of a family history
* Outgrown by puberty and never diagnosed in adult
what is Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy?
Appears during childhood or adolescence, although it may not diagnose till
adulthood
* EEG identified seizure, but no nervous system abnormalities and normal
intelligence,
eg.childhood absence seizures, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, epilepsy with grand mal seizure
which Types of seizure is considered idiopathic generalized epilepsy?
Myoclonic seizures
* Absence seizures
* Generalized tonic-clonic seizures
characteristics of idiopathic partial seizure
Seizure tends to occur during sleep
* Partial motor seizure that involve the face
