Seizures Flashcards
An estimated ___% of people experience a
seizure during their lifetime
11%
__% are eventually diagnosed with epilepsy
3%
– a discrete clinical event that results in the
abnormal discharge of a set of neurons in the brain
A transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms due to
abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the
brain.
Seizure
– at least 2 unprovoked seizures
– Network disease and not a localized brain abnormality
Epilepsy
- – seizure clusters over 1-2 days,
usually < 5 minutes, differs from normal pattern, recover
consciousness between seizures
Acute Repetitive Seizures
- – failure of the mechanisms
responsible for seizure termination or from the initiation of
mechanisms which lead to abnormally prolonged seizures.
– length of seizure beyond 5 minutes
– second seizure without recovery from the first
– repeated seizures lasting 30 minutes or longer
Convulsive Status Epilepticus
What 4 ions are altered in seizures?
Na, K, Cl, Ca
bind gamma subunit of GABA-A and increase chloride ion conductance
Benzodiazepines
What is one of the main NT in seizures that drugs target?
Glutamate
What are the 6 etiological causes of seizures?
Genetic
Structural
Infectious
Metabolic
Immune
Unknown
What are the 3 seizure types?
Focal onset
Generalized onset
Unknown onset
Originate at some point
within and rapidly
engage bilaterally
distributed networks
* Can include cortical and
subcortical structures
but not necessarily the
entire cortex
Generalized seizures
Which type of seizure is characterized by loss of consciousness and involves both hemispheres of brain?
Generalized seizures
- Originate within
networks limited
to one
hemisphere - May be
discretely
localized
or more widely
distributed….
Focal seizure
Muscles in body become stiff
Tonic
Muscles in body relax
Atonic
Short jerking in parts of body
Myoclonic
Periods of shaking or jerking parts on the body
Clonic
What body temp increases likelihood of seizures?
104 +
What are the most reliable diagnostic tool for seizures?
EEG
Do you treat unprovoked 1st seizures?
If risk factors present
What 3 drugs are used for absence seizures?
Lamotrigine
Ethosuximide
Valproic acid
What ion channel do BZD act on?
Chloride
What drug?
-50-120 mg/L target dose
- N,V,D tremor and sedation side effects: take with food
- Dose related thrombocytopenia
Depakote
