What are the 4 types of seizures?

It causes seizures, which are bursts of electricity in the brain. There are four main types of epilepsy: focal, generalized, combination focal and generalized, and unknown. A person's seizure type determines what kind of epilepsy they have.
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What are the 6 types of seizures?

The 6 Most Common Types of Seizures
  1. Simple Focal Seizures. Simple focal seizures occur for a short amount of time – typically lasting less than one minute. ...
  2. Complex Focal Seizure. ...
  3. Absence Seizure. ...
  4. Atonic Seizure. ...
  5. Tonic-Clonic Seizure. ...
  6. Myoclonic Seizure.
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What is the most serious type of seizure?

Tonic-clonic seizures.

Tonic-clonic seizures, previously known as grand mal seizures, are the most dramatic type of epileptic seizure and can cause an abrupt loss of consciousness, body stiffening and shaking, and sometimes loss of bladder control or biting your tongue. They may last for several minutes.
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What type of seizure is life threatening?

What is the risk of seizure emergencies? A long convulsive seizure (called "tonic-clonic or convulsive status epilepticus") is a medical emergency. Generally speaking, a generalized tonic-clonic seizure lasting 5 minutes or longer is a medical emergency.
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What are the 3 main phases of a seizure?

Seizures take on many different forms and have a beginning (prodrome and aura), middle (ictal) and end (post-ictal) stage.
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Epilepsy: Types of seizures, Symptoms, Pathophysiology, Causes and Treatments, Animation.



What can trigger a seizure?

12 most common seizure triggers
  • Missing medication. The most common reason for a seizure is forgetting to take your anti-epileptic drugs (AED) or deliberately not taking it. ...
  • Alcohol. ...
  • Recreational drugs. ...
  • Caffeine. ...
  • Lack of sleep / tiredness. ...
  • Stress / anxiety. ...
  • Boredom. ...
  • Dehydration.
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What happens to your body after a seizure?

During the postictal period, you may be sleepy. You may have problems with vision or speech, and may have a bad headache, fatigue, or body aches. Not all of these phases occur in everyone with this type of seizure.
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When should you go to the hospital for seizures?

Call 911 or seek emergency medical help for seizures if: A seizure lasts more than five minutes. Someone experiences a seizure for the first time. Person remains unconsciousness after a seizure ends.
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Can seizures damage brain?

Most types of seizures do not cause damage to the brain. However, having a prolonged, uncontrolled seizure can cause harm. Because of this, treat any seizure lasting over 5 minutes as a medical emergency.
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What happens to your brain when you have a seizure?

During a seizure, there is a sudden intense burst of electricity that disrupts how the brain usually works. This activity can happen on one small part of the brain and last for just a couple of seconds, or it can spread right across the brain and keep going for many minutes.
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What medication is good for seizures?

Many medications are used in the treatment of epilepsy and seizures, including:
  • Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol, others)
  • Phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)
  • Valproic acid (Depakene)
  • Oxcarbazepine (Oxtellar, Trileptal)
  • Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
  • Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin)
  • Topiramate (Topamax)
  • Phenobarbital.
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How long can a seizure last before brain damage?

A seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes, or having more than 1 seizure within a 5 minutes period, without returning to a normal level of consciousness between episodes is called status epilepticus. This is a medical emergency that may lead to permanent brain damage or death.
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Can stress cause a seizure?

Emotional stress also can lead to seizures. Emotional stress is usually related to a situation or event that has personal meaning to you. It may be a situation in which you feel a loss of control. In particular, the kind of emotional stress that leads to most seizures is worry or fear.
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Is there a difference between seizures and epilepsy?

A seizure is a single occurrence, whereas epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by two or more unprovoked seizures.
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What's the difference between a seizure and a grand mal seizure?

A grand mal seizure causes a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. It's the type of seizure most people picture when they think about seizures. A grand mal seizure — also known as a generalized tonic-clonic seizure — is caused by abnormal electrical activity throughout the brain.
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What type of seizure is difficult to detect?

Generalized seizures begin on both sides of your brain at the same time. Because these seizures spread quickly, it can be difficult to tell where they originated.
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Can seizures lead to dementia?

People with epilepsy develop Alzheimer's disease at a rate 6 times higher than the non-epileptic population, and seizures can damage the memory centers of the brain and contribute to dementia.
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Do seizures show up on MRI?

Does epilepsy show up on MRI scans? No, not necessarily. An MRI scan can help your doctor understand some of the possible underlying structural causes of your seizures. However, for many people there is no structural cause behind their epilepsy and so the brain scan comes back 'normal'.
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Do seizures affect memory?

Seizures. Any type of epileptic seizure could potentially affect your memory, either during or after a seizure. If you have lots of seizures, memory problems might happen more often. Some people have generalised seizures that affect all of the brain.
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What are the chances of having a second seizure?

The chance of another seizure can range from 16% to 61%, depending on the circumstances surrounding the seizure and results of a neurological exam or other tests.
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Is it OK to sleep after a seizure?

After the seizure: they may feel tired and want to sleep. It might be helpful to remind them where they are. stay with them until they recover and can safely return to what they had been doing before.
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Can the hospital tell if you had a seizure?

Electroencephalogram (EEG) – Using electrodes attached to your head, your doctors can measure the electrical activity in your brain. This helps to look for patterns to determine if and when another seizure might occur, and it can also help them rule out other possibilities.
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How do you stop a seizure from happening?

First Aid
  1. Keep other people out of the way.
  2. Clear hard or sharp objects away from the person.
  3. Don't try to hold them down or stop the movements.
  4. Place them on their side, to help keep their airway clear.
  5. Look at your watch at the start of the seizure, to time its length.
  6. Don't put anything in their mouth.
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What does a seizure feel like in your head?

You're not likely to lose consciousness, but you might feel sweaty or nauseated. Complex focal seizures: These usually happen in the part of your brain that controls emotion and memory. You may lose consciousness but still look like you're awake, or you may do things like gag, smack your lips, laugh, or cry.
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What causes seizures in adults with no history?

It's possible for an adult without a history of epilepsy to experience a seizure. Potential causes include central nervous system infections, brain tumors, stroke, and brain injuries. The use or stopping of certain substances, including alcohol, may also trigger a seizure.
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