Interesting Facts About Types Of Seizures

There are different types of seizures, which also affect each person differently. Learn more about this topic in our article today.

Science has classified and described different types of epileptic seizures . Each species manifests itself through different characteristics, which we take a closer look at below.

Epilepsy is a neuronal disorder in which electrical discharges occur at the same time. The effects depend on what tasks the nerve cells involved have. The discharges are violent and sudden, disrupting other neural functions.

As we will explain a little further below, an epileptic seizure is not the same as having  diagnosed epilepsy as a disease. An epileptic fit can occur at some point in life without the person developing epilepsy.

Epileptic seizures usually only last a very short time,  after which the affected person recovers and the situation returns to normal. The normalization is complete and should have no consequences. If this is not the case, there may be other underlying diseases.

It is estimated that around 1% of the population will have an epileptic seizure at some point. Of the diagnosed patients suffering from epilepsy, around a fifth cannot control their seizures despite medication.

There are many  types of epileptic seizures, which can be divided into two broad groups:

• Primary generalized seizures: These are caused by a neural electrical discharge that takes place in a large part of the brain or even affects the whole brain.
• Focal or partial seizures: These types of seizures affect only a specific area of ​​the brain and are limited to only one hemisphere.

Learn more about epileptic seizure types: primary generalized seizures

Primarily generalized seizures form the first large group. As already mentioned, this leads to  massive simultaneous neuronal discharges. This group includes the following types of epileptic seizures:

• Tonic-clonic seizures: This is the best-known form of an epileptic seizure. The affected person’s body stiffens and then rhythmic cramps and twitching of the limbs and trunk occur. Often times, patients pass out and fall to the floor. They also often lose control of their sphincter muscles. Another complication is that those affected often bite their tongue and a fall or fall can result in head trauma.
• Epileptic seizure with absenteeism:  This type of seizure is completely different from a tonic-clonic seizure. There is a small, sudden interruption in consciousness. The person’s gaze is absent and the person does not respond to any stimulus. However, the absence does not go hand in hand with powerlessness, it is an absence from reality. The absences occur relatively frequently and last about ten seconds.

• Myoclonic seizures:  In contrast to tonic-clonic seizures, in this case the body does not become stiff. With the neuronal discharges, the patient’s body shakes and twitches, especially the upper limbs. This symptom can be very mild and manifest like a  nervous tic. However, in some cases it can also lead to loss of consciousness, fainting, and a fall.

Learn more about epileptic seizure types: focal or partial seizures

Focal epileptic seizures, in which  electrical discharges occur in a specific area of ​​the brain, include the following types of seizures:

• Simple partial seizures: It is a clinical picture without loss of consciousness. People experience muscle twitching in one area of ​​the body with a tingling sensation. There are various subspecies, such as seizures, that are only perceived by the person concerned, but cannot be seen externally. In addition, there are also sensory seizures, for example, that can be accompanied by hallucinations.
• Complex partial seizures: This leads to a loss of consciousness. This type of seizure is very similar to absence epilepsy. People may be absent for a moment and perform automatic movements such as chewing. However, since they are unconscious, the patient does not remember this episode.
• Generalized partial seizures:  In this case, the seizure starts in a partial area but then develops into a generalized seizure. The symptoms end up being the same as a generalized seizure.

• Epileptic spasms: These mainly occur in children under one year of age. Children who are older than two years also rarely suffer from it. The spasms manifest themselves in a flash, with a rapid bending of the head and trunk that lasts only a few seconds (up to 5 seconds).

Not all epileptic seizures are due to the disease epilepsy

We already mentioned this briefly at the beginning:  An epileptic seizure can occur occasionally and does not always have to mean that the person affected suffers from epilepsy. The doctor will perform the appropriate neurological tests to make a diagnosis and, if necessary, initiate the correct treatment.

In some cases, pregnant women have a seizure from eclampsia, but usually they do not have epilepsy. The seizures are triggered by eclampsia and do not occur again after pregnancy.

One of the most important diagnostic methods is the electroencephalogram (EEG). This can be used to determine whether it is epilepsy or what type of seizure is present. With the EEG, the doctor measures the electrical activity of the brain by recording the voltage fluctuations on the surface of the head.

This diagnostic method can be supplemented with other imaging techniques. It can be used to determine whether there are any brain injuries that could possibly trigger epilepsy. A tumor could also trigger the seizures, which can also be clarified with these diagnostic techniques.