Seizure Flashcards
Define seizure
A chronic disease involving periodic sudden bursts of the brain
-may be a symptom of other health disease
Can be
Conclusive / non-conclusive
frequency / severity
May affect
-muscle control
-speech
-vision
-awareness
Convulsion definition
Sudden attack of involuntary muscular
contractions and relaxations
Epilepsy
-chronic ongoing series of seizures
A group of recurrent disorders of cerebral function characterized by both seizures and convulsions
Description of epilepsy
-occur at any age
-neurological disorder
-can be called seizure disorder
-Seizures are chronic, ongoing
Why do seizures occur ?
-head injury
-intracerebral injuries
-heredity
-metabolic disorders
-fever
-birth injury
-congenital disorders
-infection
Causes of triggers
-missed dose of medication
-illness
-stress
-dehydration
-flashing lights
Signs of seizures
-headaches
-periods of forgetfulness
-falling
-jerking movements
-feel out of body
-unusual smells
Types of seizures
Focal
-Occurs in part of the brain ( simple partial, complex partial)
Generalized
-in whole brain (tonic, atonic, tonic-clonic, myoclonic, absence)
Pathophysiology
Characteristic
-brought by abnormal electric activity of the brain
Type
-absence (mild episodes / petit mal)
-major tonic clinic (grand mal)
Duration
-1-2 period of disorientation
Causes
-may be a result of tumor, injury or neurological disease
Diagnosis
-Electroencephalography (EEG) studies
reveal abnormalities in brain activity and can be used in diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.
-history / physical examination
-imaging (CT/MRI/PET)
Define Neurotransmitters
Small molecules used by neurons to communicate among themselves
-regulate electrical activity of a given neurons and tell where to fire an action potential or when not to
-glutamate (exctory / tell neurons to fire)
-GABA (inhibitory / dampens neuron firing rate)
Stages of seizures
- Aura stage
-hallucinations
-dizzy
-distorted emotions
-confusion - Tonic stage
-back arched
-stiff body
-epileptic cry - Clonic stage
-jerky movements
-frothy saliva
-blinking eyes - Postical stage
-weak limbs
-exhaustion
-sleepy
Signs of seizures
-extended blank stare
-eyes rolling upward
-unresponsiveness
-uncontrollably jerking body movements
-loss consciousness
-frothing at mouth
Types of seizure
•Partial (Focal) seizures
-excessive electrical activity in one Cerebral hemisphere / affects only part of the body
1)simple partial (may experience a range of strange or unusual sensations)
-motor, sensory, autonomic, preservation of consciousness
2)complex partial
-loss of awareness, originate in frontal or temporal lobes eg: temporal lobe epilepsy
•Generalized seizures
-excessive electrical activity in both cerebral hemispheres
-originates in thalamus / brainstorm
-affects the whole body
-loss of consciousness
-myoclonic (brief shock-like muscle perks generalized / restricted to part one extremity)
-atonic (sudden loss of muscle tone)
-tonic seizures (sudden stiffen of the body, arms, legs)
-clonic seizures (rhythmic perking movements of the arms and legs without a tonic component)
-tonic-clonic ‘grand mal (tonic phase followed by clonic phase)
-absence ‘petit mal (person blank out)
-lenox-glastaut syndrome (Atypical absence, tonic and myclonic)
-status epilepticus (seizure last long than 30min)
