What happens if seizures go untreated?

If seizures can't be stopped or repeated seizures occur one right after another, permanent injury or death can occur. People with epilepsy can also die from problems that occur during or after a seizure, such as inhaling vomit.

What happens if you don't treat seizures?

If epilepsy is not treated, seizures may occur throughout a person's life. Seizures can become more severe and happen more often over time. Epilepsy can be caused by tumors or improperly formed blood vessels.

Can untreated seizures cause brain damage?

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.

What happens if seizures go undiagnosed?

Abstract. The consequences of epilepsy can be quite severe and include shortened lifespan, excessive bodily injury, neuropsychological and psychiatric impairment, and social disability. There is evidence that seizures cause brain injury, including neuronal death and physiological dysfunction.

How long can you have a seizure 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.

What Really Causes Epilepsy?

Does seizures cause death?

Yes, a seizure can cause death. But while possible, this is a rare occurrence. Talk to your doctor if you feel that your current anti-seizure therapy isn't working. You can discuss a different combination of medication or explore add-on therapies to help control your attacks.

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.

Do seizures get worse with age?

The incidence of any type of seizure increases substantially over the age of 60, commonly due to other neurological conditions such as dementia or stroke.

What are the long term effects of seizures?

Usually, a seizure does not cause any lasting damage to the brain. However, having many seizures, or having seizures that are particularly severe, may cause a person to become more forgetful or find it difficult to concentrate. People with epilepsy have an increased risk of developing depression.

What does a silent seizure look like?

Someone having an absence seizure may look like he or she is staring blankly into space for a few seconds. Then, there is a quick return to a normal level of alertness. This type of seizure usually doesn't lead to physical injury.

How many seizures is too many?

A person is diagnosed with epilepsy when they have had two or more seizures. A seizure is a short change in normal brain activity. Seizures are the main sign of epilepsy.

Can a seizure change your personality?

Importance of Mood Disorders

Mood disorders in people with epilepsy are very important and can greatly impact a person's daily activities and quality of life. These feelings may be present most of the time, or appear just before, during, or after a seizure. Some people become depressed, others may be irritable.

What do seizures do to your brain?

Scientific evidence and research have long shown that prolonged seizures can kill brain cells and cause other damage. More recent research also suggests that smaller, recurring seizures can also contribute to nerve cell injury within the brain.

How long can you go without seizure medication?

Stop or Switch? The limited research we have suggests that kids should be seizure-free for 2 years, and adults for 2 to 5 years, before you consider stopping medication.

Can you live with epilepsy without medication?

More than 50 out of 100 children outgrow their epilepsy. Twenty years after the diagnosis, 75 out of 100 people will have been seizure free for at least 5 years, although some may still need to take daily medication. People who have surgery and become seizure free may be able to come off seizure medicine.

Can you survive a seizure alone?

By taking care of your overall well-being and making lifestyle changes to lower the risk of seizure, you can live safely and independently with epilepsy.

Do seizures shorten life span?

Reduction in life expectancy can be up to 2 years for people with a diagnosis of idiopathic/cryptogenic epilepsy, and the reduction can be up to 10 years in people with symptomatic epilepsy. Reductions in life expectancy are highest at the time of diagnosis and diminish with time.

How do seizures damage the body?

The autonomic nervous system regulates body functions like breathing. Seizures can disrupt this system, causing breathing to temporarily stop. Interruptions in breathing during seizures can lead to abnormally low oxygen levels, and may contribute to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).

Can seizures cause permanent brain damage?

Isolated, brief seizures are likely to cause negative changes in brain function and possibly loss of specific brain cells. This is not true for all forms of epilepsy, however, and is likely to be highly dependent upon the type of seizure and the specific cause of the epilepsy.

What foods should epileptics avoid?

white bread; non-wholegrain cereals; biscuits and cakes; honey; high-sugar drinks and foods; fruit juices; chips; mashed potatoes; parsnips; dates and watermelon. In general, processed or overcooked foods and over-ripe fruits.

Can a person stop having seizures?

While many forms of epilepsy require lifelong treatment to control the seizures, for some people the seizures eventually go away. The odds of becoming seizure-free are not as good for adults or for children with severe epilepsy syndromes, but it is possible that seizures may decrease or even stop over time.

What is the main cause of a seizure?

The most common cause of seizures is epilepsy. But not every person who has a seizure has epilepsy. Sometimes seizures may be caused or triggered by: High fever, which can be associated with an infection such as meningitis.

Is sleeping good for epilepsy?

Having a good night's sleep helps our brains to recover from the day's events, so that we can function well the next day. For some people with epilepsy a lack of sleep can make seizures more likely to happen, for others having seizures at night can make them feel tired during the day.

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.

What are signs of seizures in your sleep?