Seizure can also refer to the act of taking hold of property, for this meaning seeSeizure (law)
A video of a seizure. It also shows possblefirst aid.Someone who has bitten the tip of their tongue while having a seizure
Aconvulsion orseizure happens when the bodymuscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in uncontrolled shaking.[1] Becauseepileptic seizures typically include convulsions, the termconvulsion is sometimes used as a synonym forseizure.[1] However, not all epileptic seizures lead to convulsions, and not all convulsions are caused by epileptic seizures.[1]
A seizure happens when thenerves in a person'sbrain act strangely.Nerves sendinformation, partly through electrical signals. Usually, nerves in the brain (calledneurons) do not fire at the same time. During a seizure, groups of nerves start firing together, too fast.[2] This causes there to be too much disorganized electrical activity in the brain.
Most people think a person with a seizure will shake and twitch. Some will, but there are also other kinds of seizures.[3]
There are many different types of seizures. They are named by how much of thebrain they affect and what happens to the person when they are having that type of seizure.
In partial seizures, only a small part of the brain is involved in the seizure. These seizures can be more specifically called:
Simple partial: The person stays awake the whole time the seizure is happening. They may twitch (especially in just one part of their body), feel dizzy, orsmell and taste things that are not there.
Complex partial: The person "zones out" during the seizure and may seemconfused, experiencedeja vu, laugh, feel afraid, see things that are not there, or smell something bad. The person may also do something over and over again, like button and rebutton a shirt.
In generalized seizures, a larger part of the brain is involved in the seizure. Often, parts of bothhemispheres (halves of the brain) are affected. These seizures can be more specifically called:
Tonic-clonic - The personfaints, and starts having involuntary jerking motions. They may bite their tongue, scream, drool,urinate ordefecate. Many people with this kind of seizures have a "strange feeling" before the seizure. This feeling is calledaura. Tonic-clonic seizures can last up to 20 minutes.
Absence - People having absence seizures often look like they are just "spaced out." They do not fall to the ground or have jerking movements, but they do not seem to hear or notice anything around them. Other people may not notice that the person is having a seizure at all. The person may simply freeze in place and pick up where they left off when the seizure is over. The person having the seizure usually does not remember it afterward. This kind of seizure only lasts up to 10 seconds.
Myoclonic - A myoclonic jerk is a sudden jerking motion, usually on both sides of the body. This kind of seizure is most common in children under 5. Myoclonic seizures can be seen in adults, who tend of have myoclonic jerks when they are falling asleep or already asleep. Children can have these myoclonic jerks while awake.
Certain types of seizures point to a disorder calledepilepsy, where the nerves do not work as they should. They carry the wrong messages to the brain so that the person moves uncontrollably or sees, hears, smells, feels, or tastes things that are not there. Medicine can be taken to prevent this from happening.
Other than epilepsy, many other things can cause seizures.
This usually only causes seizures in children from 3 months to 6 years old.[6] Seizures that are caused by fever are calledfebrile seizures. Children usually grow out of them.[6] However, an adult can have a seizure from a very high fever.
Most seizures only last a short time. The best thing to do is to prevent the person with the seizure from hurting themselves. During a seizure,reflexes do not work, and the people with the seizure do not have control over their muscles.
↑7.07.1"NINDS Cerebral Hypoxia Information Page".www.ninds.nih.gov. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health. September 10, 2015. Archived fromthe original on May 5, 2009. RetrievedDecember 25, 2015.
↑Schachter, Steven C.; Shafer, Patricia O. (August 2013)."Triggers of Seizures".www.epilepsy.com. The Epilepsy Foundation. RetrievedDecember 25, 2015.
