![Seizures are caused by a sudden surge of abnormal electrical activity in the brain, which can affect how a person appears or acts, but for a short period of time. The types of seizures include generalized onset seizures, focal onset seizures, and unknown onset seizures.](https://images.medicinenet.com/images/article/main_image/how-do-you-stop-multiple-seizures.jpg?output-quality=75)
Seizures occur when there is a sudden surge of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that usually affects how a person appears or acts for a short time.
There are two main types of seizure classes with five subtypes of seizures, including:
- Generalized onset seizures
- Both sides of the brain are affected at the same time
- Includes seizure types like
- Tonic-clonic (also called grand mal)
- Crying out
- Loss of consciousness
- Falling to the ground
- Muscle jerks or spasms
- Tiredness following the seizure
- Absence (also called petit mal)
- Can cause rapid blinking or a few seconds of staring into space.
- Atonic
- Drop attack
- Tonic-clonic (also called grand mal)
- Focal onset seizures
- Focal seizures can start in one area or in one side of the brain
- Focal onset aware seizures occur when a person is awake and aware during a seizure (formerly called simple partial seizure)
- Affect a small part of the brain
- Can cause twitching or a change in sensation, such as a strange taste or smell
- Focal onset impaired awareness seizures occur when a person is confused or awareness is affected during a focal seizure (formerly called a complex partial seizure)
- Dazed or confused
- Inability to respond to questions or direction for up to a few minutes
- Focal onset aware seizures occur when a person is awake and aware during a seizure (formerly called simple partial seizure)
- Focal seizures can start in one area or in one side of the brain
What Are Symptoms of Seizures?
Symptoms of seizures may differ depending on the type.
Symptoms of generalized onset seizures include:
- Motor symptoms
- Tense or rigid muscles (tonic)
- Sustained rhythmical jerking movements (clonic)
- Muscle weakness or limpness (atonic)
- Brief muscle twitching (myoclonus)
- Epileptic spasms (body flexes and extends repeatedly)
- Non-motor symptoms (absence seizures)
- Staring spells
- Brief twitches that can affect a specific body part or just the eyelids
Symptoms of focal onset seizures include:
- Motor symptoms
- Tense or rigid muscles (tonic)
- Jerking (clonic)
- Muscle weakness or limpness (atonic)
- Brief muscle twitching (myoclonus)
- Epileptic spasms (body flexes and extends repeatedly)
- Repeated automatic movements (automatisms), such as clapping or rubbing of hands, lip smacking, chewing, or running
- Non-motor symptoms
- Changes in sensation
- Mood changes
- Changes in thinking or cognition
- Changes in autonomic functions (such as gastrointestinal sensations, waves of heat or cold, goosebumps, heart racing, etc.)
- Lack of movement (behavior arrest)
Symptoms of focal onset seizures include:
- Motor seizures: either tonic-clonic or epileptic spasms
- Non-motor seizures: behavior arrest
What Causes Seizures?
Causes of seizures can vary by age.
Causes of seizures in newborns include:
- Intracranial bleeding
- Lack of oxygen during birth
- Low levels of blood sugar, blood calcium, blood magnesium or other electrolyte problems
- Malformations of the brain
- Maternal drug use
- Problems with metabolism
Causes of seizures in infants and young children include:
- Fever (febrile seizures)
- Infections
- Brain tumor (rarely)
Causes of seizures in children and adults include:
- Congenital conditions
- Angelman's syndrome
- Down's syndrome
- Neurofibromatosis
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Genetics
- Head trauma
- Progressive brain disease (rare)
Causes of seizures in seniors include:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Stroke
- Trauma
Common triggers that may precipitate seizures include:
- Fever or illness
- Lack of sleep
- Stress
- Flashing bright lights or patterns
- Alcohol or drug use
- Certain foods
- Excess caffeine
- Certain times of day or night
- Menstrual cycle in women or other hormonal changes
- Poor diet
- Low blood sugar
- Certain medications
How Are Seizures Diagnosed?
Tests used to diagnose the cause of seizures include:
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) checks for brain wave patterns consistent with seizure activity
- Blood tests to check for certain medical disorders
- Brain imaging to look for abnormal areas such as a tumor or infection
- X-ray of the brain
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
- Lumbar puncture (also called a spinal tap)
- Electrocardiogram (EKG) to check the heart
- Sleep testing
What Is the Treatment for Seizures?
Treatment for seizures usually involves medicines called anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), such as:
- Brivaracetam
- Cannabidiol oral solution (Epidiolex)
- Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, Tegretol, Tegretol XR
- Cenobamate (Xcopri)
- Clobazam (Onfi, Sympazan)
- Clonazepam (Epitril, Klonopin, Rivotril)
- Diazepam nasal
- Diazepam rectal (Diastat)
- Divalproex sodium (Depacon, Depakote, Depakote ER, Epival)
- Eslicarbazepine Acetate (Aptiom)
- Ethosuximide (Zarontin)
- Ezogabine (Potiga)
- Felbamate (Felbatol)
- Fenfluramine
- Gabapentin (Neurontin)
- Lacosamide (Vimpat)
- Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
- Levetiracetam (Keppra, Keppra XR, Roweepra)
- Lorazepam (Ativan)
- Midazolam nasal (Nayzilam)
- Oxcarbazepine (Oxtellar XR, Trileptal)
- Perampanel (Fycompa)
- Phenobarbital
- Phenytoin (Dilantin, Epanutin, Phenytek)
- Pregabalin (Lyrica)
- Primidone (Mysoline)
- Rufinamide (Banzel, Inovelon)
- Stiripentol (Diacomit)
- Tiagabine hydrochloride (Gabitril)
- Topiramate (Topamax, Qudexy XR, Trokendi XR)
- Valproic Acid (Convulex, Depakene, Depakine, Orfiril, Valporal, Valprosid)
- Vigabatrin (Sabril)
- Zonisamide (Zonegran)
Other treatments for seizures include:
- Diet therapy, including the ketogenic diet
- Epilepsy surgery
- Removal of a small part of the brain that's causing the seizures
- Implantation of a small electrical device inside the body to help control seizures
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https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/about/types-of-seizures.htm