What's a mini seizure?

What are absence seizures? An absence seizure causes you to blank out or stare into space for a few seconds. They can also be called petit mal seizures. Absence seizures are most common in children and typically don't cause any long-term problems.
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What does a small seizure feel like?

Simple focal seizures: They change how your senses read the world around you: They can make you smell or taste something strange, and may make your fingers, arms, or legs twitch. You also might see flashes of light or feel dizzy. You're not likely to lose consciousness, but you might feel sweaty or nauseated.
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What can trigger a mini seizure?

Causes
  • traumatic brain injury, if a scar tissue disturbs electrical signals in the brain.
  • changes following surgery.
  • stroke.
  • a brain tumor.
  • developmental challenges.
  • the use of some medications.
  • exposure to toxins.
  • endocrine disorders, which affect hormone levels.
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What do mini seizures look like?

Absence seizures involve brief, sudden lapses of consciousness. They're more common in children than in adults. 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.
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Can you have mini seizures and not know it?

There are many different conditions and situations that can cause seizures of any type. Sometimes, the cause is never discovered. A seizure without a known cause is called an idiopathic seizure.
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Epilepsy in schools: what does a focal seizure look like?



How do I know if I've had a seizure?

What are the symptoms of a seizure?
  1. Staring.
  2. Jerking movements of the arms and legs.
  3. Stiffening of the body.
  4. Loss of consciousness.
  5. Breathing problems or stopping breathing.
  6. Loss of bowel or bladder control.
  7. Falling suddenly for no apparent reason, especially when associated with loss of consciousness.
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Can anxiety cause seizures?

If you have already been diagnosed with epilepsy then yes, anxiety can cause seizures. Severe stress is a very common seizure trigger, and those with severe anxiety often experience severe stress. However, it should be noted that this is far more common with those who already have epilepsy.
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Can stress cause seizures?

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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What does a partial seizure feel like?

a strange feeling like a 'wave' going through the head. stiffness or twitching in part of the body (such as an arm or hand).
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What can mimic a seizure?

Episodes Mistaken for Seizures
  • About Seizures. Neurologists define seizures as abnormal and excessive electrical signals in the brain. ...
  • Types of Seizures. There are 3 broad categories of epileptic seizures. ...
  • Fainting Disorders. ...
  • Staring. ...
  • Movement Disorders. ...
  • Confusional Migraines. ...
  • Night Terrors.
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What does it feel like before a seizure?

Some patients may have a feeling of having lived a certain experience in the past, known as “déjà vu.” Other warning signs preceding seizures include daydreaming, jerking movements of an arm, leg, or body, feeling fuzzy or confused, having periods of forgetfulness, feeling tingling or numbness in a part of the body, ...
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What causes seizures in adults out of nowhere?

Seizures in adults with no seizure history can be caused by a number of factors ranging from high blood pressure, drug abuse and toxic exposures to brain injury, brain infection (encephalitis) and heart disease.
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What seizures look like?

Seizures symptoms vary and can include a sudden change in awareness or full loss of consciousness, unusual sensations or thoughts, involuntary twitching or stiffness in the body or severe stiffening and limb shaking with loss of consciousness (a convulsion.)
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How long do mini seizures last?

Absence seizures, sometimes called petit mal seizures, are brief, usually lasting less than 20 seconds. They cause symptoms that may be barely noticeable.
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Are seizures mini strokes?

A stroke happens when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. A seizure occurs when the brain experiences a surge of electrical activity.
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Can you have mild seizures?

With a seizure, signs and symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary depending on the type of seizure. Seizure signs and symptoms may include: Temporary confusion.
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Can you be aware of having a seizure?

Some people are aware of the beginning of a seizure, possibly as much as hours or days before it happens. On the other hand, some people may not be aware of the beginning and therefore have no warning.
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Can you talk during a partial seizure?

Patients with simple partial seizures remain awake and aware throughout the seizure, and some patients can even talk during the episode.
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Can lack of sleep cause seizures?

Can sleep deprivation trigger a seizure? Yes, it can. Seizures are very sensitive to sleep patterns. Some people have their first and only seizures after an "all-nighter" at college or after not sleeping well for long periods.
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What is a mental seizure?

PNES are attacks that may look like epileptic seizures but are not epileptic and instead are cause by psychological factors. Sometimes a specific traumatic event can be identified. PNES are sometimes referred to as psychogenic events, psychological events, or nonepileptic seizures (NES).
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Can you have a seizure from high blood pressure?

Results: Severe uncontrolled hypertension increased the risk of unprovoked seizure. Left ventricular hypertrophy without diuretic treatment was associated with an 11-fold increased risk of unprovoked seizure: left ventricular hypertrophy treated with diuretics did not increase the risk.
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Can MRI scan detect seizures?

After the first seizure, MRI can be used to identify any serious disorder that may have provoked the seizure, such as a brain tumor or arteriovenous malformation (a blood vessel abnormality). It can help determine the proper seizure type and syndrome.
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Should I be worried about seizures?

Generally speaking, a generalized tonic-clonic seizure lasting 5 minutes or longer is a medical emergency. If seizures can't be stopped or repeated seizures occur one right after another, permanent injury or death can occur.
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Can doctors 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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Does a seizure hurt?

In general, the actual experience of having a seizure does not hurt. Pain during seizures is rare . Some types of seizures make you lose consciousness.
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