Seizures Flashcards
What is a seizure?
A burst of uncontrolled electrical activity between brain cells.
What are the two categories of seizures?
Generalised
Focal
What are the two types of neurotransmitters and what happens when they are unbalanced vs balanced?
Excitatory neurons 80-90%
Inhibitory neuros 10-20%
Balance = homeostasis
Unbalance = seizure
What causes seizures?
CNS infection
Pyrexia
Cerebral hypoxia
Hypoglycaemia
Traumatic brain injury
Acid base imbalance
Kidney inj/disease
ETOH withdrawal
Brain tumour
Amphetamine abuse
What are epilepsy causes?
Imbalance of neurotransmitters
Previous brain injury
Genetic cause
Idiopathic
What are the different types of generalised seizure?
Tonic-clonic
Tonic
Clonic
Absent
Myotonic
Atonic
What are the stages of seizures?
Prodromal = 10 mins - 3days
Aura = seconds to minutes
Ictus = 30 secs to 3 mins
Post ictus = mins to days
What is SUDEP?
Sudden unexpected death in
epilepsy (SUDEP) is defined as a sudden, unexpected, witnessed or unwitnessed
nontraumatic death in a patient with epilepsy
excluding status epilepticus
What are the types of focal seizures?
Focal
* Simple
* Complex
OR
* Focal onset aware
* Focal impaired aware
OR
* Motor
* Sensory
* Autonomic
* High level
- Focal aware seizure
- Focal impaired awareness seizure
What are risk factors for seizures?
Born undersized
First month of life
Congential abnormalities
Family Hx
Cerebral palsy
Alzheimers
Autism
Developmental disabilities
What are the treatments for seizures?
Seizure devices
Epilepsy surgery
Dietary therapies
Alternative therapies
Seizure medications
When does epilepsy start?
Epilepsy can start at any age, but usually starts either in childhood or in people over 60.
How many people have epilepsy in the UK?
633,000 people
