seizures Flashcards
what is syncope?
reflex bradycardia with or without peripheral vasodilation
what are pre syncope symptoms?
light headedness, dizziness, sweating, nausea, pallor, tachycardia
what can cause syncope?
vasovagal - can only occur when standing up
what can provoke vasovagal syncope?
emotion
fear
pain
standing too long
what are strokes Adams attacks?
transient arrhythmias causing reduced cardiac output and loss of consciousness
what occurs pre attack in a stroke Adams?
palpitations
what happens during an attack in stroke Adams?
fall to ground with LOC
pallor
slow or absent pulses
what is the recovery like in stroke adams?
within seconds
associated with flushing
what can cause a drop attack?
cataplexy - associated with narcolepsy
what is the attack like in a drop attack?
sudden weakness in legs with no warning symptoms
LOC
what is epilepsy?
recurrent tendency to spontaneous, intermittent, abnormal electrical activity in brain that manifests as convulsions or abnormal behaviour
what causes epilepsy?
too much excitation - glutamate
OR
not enough inhibition - GABA
how many events needs to have taken place for a diagnosis of epilepsy?
2
what can cause epilepsy?
idiopathic
structural abnormalities - SOL, stroke
what is aura? what are examples of it?
individualised symptoms that proceed the seizure by minutes
- deja vu
- flashing lights
- funny tastes or smells
- strange feeling in gut
what happens during an epilepsy seizure?
period when patient losses awareness and becomes unresponsive
lasts less than 5 mins
associated with tongue biting and urinary incontinence
what happens post ictal epilepsy seizure?
slow recovery that is often associated with confusion, headache, muscle ache, temporary weakness
what is the temporary weakness after an epileptic seizure called?
Todd’s palsy
what are focal epileptic seizures?
increased activity in only one hemisphere
what are simple focal epileptic seizures?
localised symptoms
no loss of awareness
no post ictal symptoms
what are complex focal epileptic seizures?
localised symptoms with
aura
LOC
post ictal symptoms
what are focal epileptic seizures with secondary generalisation?
localised symptoms that
proceed to generalised seizures
in focal seizures in the temporal lobe, what symptoms would you experience?
dysphasia deja vu flashback odd tastes or smells visual and auditory hallucinations lip smacking
in focal seizures in the frontal lobe, what symptoms would you experience?
posturing movements
head and leg movements
Jacksonian seizure
what is Jacksonian seizure? what is it associated with?
twitching movement of the upper limbs that spread to face and lower limbs
Todd’s palsy
in focal seizures in the parietal lobe, what symptoms would you experience?
numbness (sensory disturbance)
in focal seizures, in the occipital lobe, what symptoms would you experience?
lines and flashes (visual disturbance)