Seizure Flashcards
Seizure
Paroxysmal, uncontrolled electrical discharge
- often symptom of underlying illness
- can be related to metabolic disturbances
Epilepsy
Spontaneously recurring seizures caused by chronic condition
- higher incidence in first year of life and in elderly
- first 6 months causes: severe birth injury, birth defects
- after 50 yrs: cerebrovascular lesions and metastatic brain tumors
- gliosis and astrocytes have key role
Phases of seizures
Prodromal: precedes seizure
Aural: with sensory warning
Ictal: full seizure
Postictal: rest and recovery
Generalized seizures
Bilateral, synchronous, epileptic discharge
- no warning or aura
- loss of consciousness from seconds to minutes
- tonic-clonic (grand mal)
Generalized Seizures manifestations
- loss of consciousness and falling
- body stiffens (tonic) with jerking (clonic)
- cyanosis, excessive salivation, tongue or cheek biting
- postictal phase: muscle soreness, fatigue
- no memory of seizure
Typical Absence seizure (petit mall)
Children and into adolescents
- may cease or develop into another type
- staring spell
- brief loss of consciousness
- ECG
- precipitated by hyperventilation and flashing lights
Atypical Absence seizures
Staring spell with brief warnings
Peculiar behavior during seizures
Confusion after
Myoclonic seizure
Sudden, excessive jerk of body and extremities
Can cause fall
Brief and may occur in clusters
Atonic seizures
Consciousness usually returns by time person hits ground
Risk for head injury
Paroxysmal loss of muscle tone
Tonic seizures
Sudden onset of decreased exterior muscle tone
Often fall
Clonic seizures
Loss of consciousness and sudden loss of muscle tone
Followed by limb jerking
Partial seizures
Caused by focal irritation
- simple: simple motor or sensory phenomena with elementary symptoms with no loss of consciousness and lasts less than 1 minute
- complex: alteration in consciousness followed by period of postical confusion
- second generalized: Todd’s paralysis
Most common complex partial seizure
Lip smacking and automatisms
- psychomotor seizures
- no memory of activity during seizure
Psycho sensory symptoms that may occur during complex partial seizures
Distortions of visual or auditory sensations
Vertigo
Alterations in memory
Alterations in thought processes
Status epilepticus
Constant seizure or condition when seizure recur in rapid succession
- neuro emergency
- brain uses more energy than supplied
- tonic clonic status is most dangerous
