Epilepsy Symptoms and Causes

Definition of Epilepsy:

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder. It is a chronic disorder that affects the nervous system and is characterized by unprovoked seizures. A diagnosis of Epilepsy is only usually made once the patient presenting with the seizures has had 2 unprovoked seizures.

There are over 40 different types of epilepsy. Each type of epilepsy is unique. Epilepsy is classified in syndromes. Clusters of features that appear in common are defined together as a syndrome. The list below are the features that are used to determine the classifications, each type of epilepsy will be classified by one or more of these features:

•    Types of seizures
•    Age at which the seizures begin
•    Causes of the seizures
•    Whether it’s inherited
•    The part of the brain involved
•    Factors that provoke seizures
•    Frequency and severity of seizures
•    Pattern of seizures by time of day
•    Patterns on the EEG, during seizures and between seizures
•    Other disorders in addition to seizures
•    The prognosis for improvement or degeneration

Causes of Epilepsy:

Epilepsy is usually defined by the fact that the seizures are unprovoked or spontaneous i.e. there is no trigger. There are exceptions to this such as photosensitive epilepsy (flashing lights).

Individuals who are susceptible to seizures can have spontaneous seizures as well as seizures triggered by various external influences such as sleep, stress, alcohol and even the menstrual cycle.

The root causes of epilepsy are fairly complicated, some types of epilepsy are genetic and inherited others can be linked to identifiable diseases or brain abnormalities as follows:

Newborns Babies

•    Brain malformations
•    Lack of oxygen during birth
•    Low levels of blood sugar, blood calcium, blood magnesium or other electrolyte disturbances
•    Inborn errors of metabolism
•    Intracranial hemorrhage
•    Maternal drug use
•    Infection

Infants and Children

•    Fever (febrile seizures)
•    Brain tumor (rarely)
•    Infections

Children and Adults

•    Congenital conditions (Down’s syndrome; Angelman’s syndrome; tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis)
•    Genetic factors
•    Progressive brain disease (rare)
•    Head trauma

Elderly

•    Stroke
•    Alzheimer’s disease
•    Trauma

Symptoms of Epilepsy:

There are 3 general types of seizure with many different movement types involved, here are some of the more common components:

Generalized seizures or grand mal seizures:

•    Crying out or making of some sound
•    Stiffening of the body for some time
•    Then rhythmic movement of arms and legs.
•    Eyes are open
•    Breathing (appears to be none)
•    Slow return to consciousness
•    Incontinence
•    Slight confusion

Partial or focal seizures:

•    Abnormal muscle contraction
•    Affects one side of the body (leg, part of the face, or other area)
•    Abnormal head movements
•    Forced turning of the head
•    Complex, repetitive movements (such as picking at clothes) — these are called automatisms and include:
•    Abnormal mouth movements
•    Lip smacking
•    Behaviors that seem to be a habit
•    Chewing/swallowing without cause
•    Forced turning of the eyes
•    Abnormal sensations
•    Numbness, tingling, crawling sensation (like ants crawling on the skin)
•    Hallucinations
•    Abdominal pain or discomfort
•    Nausea
•    Sweating
•    Flushed face
•    Dilated pupils
•    Rapid heart rate/pulse

Absence or petit mal seizures:

•    Impairment of consciousness.
•    Repetitive blinking.

FAQ

What is atrial fibrillation and epilepsy?

Sometimes epilepsy is diagnosed due to seizure being evident when in fact the patient is actually suffering from another underlying condition. In this case Cardiac Arrhythmia-atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) can cause fainting spells which can look like seizures and be misdiagnosed as epilepsy.

Can a person get epilepsy later in life?

Yes both adults and the elderly can get seizures; the most common causes for this are congenital conditions; genetic factors; progressive brain disease; head trauma; stroke; Alzheimer’s disease; and trauma.

Resources and Organization:

http://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/default.htm
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/
http://www.epilepsy.com/

related:

I’ve Been Able to Manage My Epilepsy