Healthy Living and Fitness

Illness Care: Epilepsy

Symptoms

The symptoms of epilepsy vary depending on how much of the brain is affected, and where the affected area is located. Seizures are classified as those that are generalized and those affecting only a portion of the brain.

Partial or Focal Seizures:Only certain parts of the brain are affected by these seizures. They are divided into two different classes:

• Simple Partial Seizures: In this type of seizure, the patient remains awake and aware. Signs and symptoms of this type of seizure can range from convulsive jerking, tingling, and seeing flashes of light to sweating, dilation of pupils, and even de ja vu. There may be emotional symptoms, such as unexplained fear or rage. Symptoms such as tingling and jerking may begin in one part of the body and spread, or "march," to various parts of the body.
• Complex Partial Seizures: In this type of seizure, the patient is unresponsive. There may be a blank stare, chewing movements of the mouth, or random activity. After the seizure, the patient has no memory of the episode.

Generalized Seizures (involve all areas of the brain simultaneously):

• Absence or Petit Mal Seizures: In this type of seizure, loss of consciousness is so brief that the patient doesn't usually change position and may not even be aware of his or her loss of external awareness. For a few seconds the patient may have a blank stare, rapid blinking, chewing movements of the mouth, or a brief rhythmic movement of an extremity. Absence seizures usually begin in childhood and almost always cease by the age of 20.
• Tonic-clonic or Grand Mal Seizures: Tonic and clonic seizures refer to the tension or contraction and relaxation of a person's muscles. These seizures are characterized by a sudden loss of consciousness. The person becomes rigid and falls to the ground; breathing may become shallow and sometimes stops. This first phase is known as the tonic phase and lasts for about a minute. Then the clonic phase begins as the person's body jerks about for 2 or 3 minutes. The person may bite their tongue or lips or experience urinary incontinence during these seizures, and it is possible for the person to suffer injury. Once the seizure has passed, the person may recover consciousness, drift asleep, or experience additional seizures before recovering consciousness (known as status epilepticus), or after recovering consciousness (serial seizures). In some cases, the person may behave abnormally and have no memory or awareness of what just happened. While recovering from the seizure, the person may experience symptoms such as headache, disorientation, drowsiness, nausea, muscle soreness, or a combination of these symptoms.

Some people suffering from epilepsy are warned about an impending seizure hours before it occurs. Changes such as a headache, change in mood, lethargy, or involuntary jerking are some of the common symptoms that tend to precede a seizure.

These symptoms are different from the aura or feeling that precedes a generalized seizure. An aura is an unusual sensation that often acts as a warning device, signalling the onset of a seizure. It is characterized by a feeling of fear or sickness or an odd smell or taste. Sometimes the more severe seizure does not follow, and only the aura sensation occurs. The aura is actually often beneficial. It can serve as a "warning" giving the affected person time to move away from potentially dangerous obstacles or environments that might be hazardous during a seizure. It is actually part of the seizure and comes seconds or minutes before the actual seizure. In most people, however, seizures are unpredictable and unrelated to the person's current situation.

 

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