Anything that interrupts the normal connections between nerve cells in the brain can cause a seizure. This includes a high fever, high or low blood sugar, alcohol or drug withdrawal, or a brain concussion. But when a person has 2 or more seizures with no known cause, this is diagnosed as epilepsy.
These words are used to describe generalized seizures:
- Tonic: Muscles in the body become stiff.
- Atonic: Muscles in the body relax.
- Myoclonic: Short jerking in parts of the body.
- Clonic: Periods of shaking or jerking parts on the body.
Seizures take on many different forms and have a beginning (prodrome and aura), middle (ictal) and end (post-ictal) stage.
Some patients may have a feeling of having lived a certain experience in the past, known as “déjà vu.” Other warning signs preceding seizures include daydreaming, jerking movements of an arm, leg, or body, feeling fuzzy or confused, having periods of forgetfulness, feeling tingling or numbness in a part of the body,
Nerve cells (neurons) in the brain create, send and receive electrical impulses, which allow the brain's nerve cells to communicate. Anything that disrupts these communication pathways can lead to a seizure. The most common cause of seizures is epilepsy.
Seizure Prevention Tips
- Get plenty of sleep each night — set a regular sleep schedule, and stick to it.
- Learn stress management and relaxation techniques.
- Avoid drugs and alcohol.
- Take all of your medications as prescribed by your doctor.
- Avoid bright, flashing lights and other visual stimuli.
Here are things you can do to help someone who is having this type of seizure:
- Ease the person to the floor.
- Turn the person gently onto one side.
- Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp.
- Put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under his or her head.
- Remove eyeglasses.
In cases where the aura is a smell, some people are able to fight off seizures by sniffing a strong odor, such as garlic or roses. When the preliminary signs include depression, irritability, or headache, an extra dose of medication (with a doctor's approval) may help prevent an attack.
Among different foods which may trigger the seizure occurrence, dairy products are major concerns because of excess use of a variety of them in dairy diet and several studies demonstrated cow's milk protein allergy which may induce epilepsy [7].
white bread; non-wholegrain cereals; biscuits and cakes; honey; high-sugar drinks and foods; fruit juices; chips; mashed potatoes; parsnips; dates and watermelon. In general, processed or overcooked foods and over-ripe fruits.
Some warning signs of possible seizures may include: Odd feelings, often indescribable. Unusual smells, tastes, or feelings. Unusual experiences – "out-of-body" sensations; feeling detached; body looks or feels different; situations or people look unexpectedly familiar or strange.
Of the people with epilepsy, 8.8% died prematurely, compared with just 0.7% in others. After taking social and demographic factors into account, the researchers estimated that people with epilepsy were 11 times more likely to die prematurely compared with people who did not have epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a physical, long-term condition and people with epilepsy are protected under the Equality Act, even if their seizures are controlled or if they don't consider themselves to be 'disabled'.
Factors affecting prognosisAge: Adults over the age of 60 may experience an increased risk for epileptic seizures, as well as related complications. Family history: Epilepsy is often genetic. If you have a family member who experienced epilepsy-related complications, then your own risk may be higher.
Too much texting and exposure to computer screens – electronic stress – can set off an epileptic attack. Factors like emotional stress, skipping meals, sleep deprivation, fatigue, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc. can also trigger seizures in persons with epilepsy.
Television is the most common seizure stimulus, but any source of flickering light, such as light flickering through trees, can provoke a seizure. The slower the flicker, the more likely it is to cause seizures.
Some specific examples of situations or events that can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy are: Nightclub and theater lights, including strobe lights. TV screens and computer monitors. Flashing lights on police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and safety alarms.
The frequency or speed of flashing light that is most likely to cause seizures varies from person to person. Generally, flashing lights most likely to trigger seizures are between the frequency of 5 to 30 flashes per second (Hertz).
Seizures due to epilepsy do not usually lead to permanent vision issues. But epilepsy may involve several vision and eye changes during a seizure.
Images flash very quickly and generally this is too quickly to trigger a seizure in people with photosensitive epilepsy. However, the field of view is large and so more of the eye is stimulated. This means that more of the brain may be affected and this may trigger a seizure.
Flashing lights can produce a crisis, but the website epilepsy.com recommends one of the most efficient ways to fight epilepsy: polarized sunglasses. On top of this, the best color of the lenses is blue as it reduces the effects on the eye.
Video games and TV don't cause epilepsy, Erba and the Epilepsy Foundation stress. "It's quite clear that the exposure to video games does not make you become an epileptic," says Erba. There are various factors, even in people who are predisposed to seizures, that contribute to the seizure activity triggered by lights.
Three-dimensional video games can cause a brief sensation of vertigo, but it would not persist.
"[Lamictal] seems to be the winner," Marson says. The second trial looked at 716 patients newly diagnosed with generalized epilepsy. It compared the older drug valproic acid (in the U.S., Depakote is the most popular member of this drug family) to Lamictal and Topamax.
First Aid
- Keep other people out of the way.
- Clear hard or sharp objects away from the person.
- Don't try to hold them down or stop the movements.
- Place them on their side, to help keep their airway clear.
- Look at your watch at the start of the seizure, to time its length.
- Don't put anything in their mouth.
The only vitamin deficiency known to cause or worsen seizures is a deficiency of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). This deficiency occurs mainly in newborns and infants and causes seizures that are hard to control.
Malnutrition and overnutrition may increase the risk of seizures. Examples include the following: Vitamin B1 deficiency (thiamine deficiency) was reported to cause seizures, especially in alcoholics. Vitamin B6 depletion (pyridoxine deficiency) was reported to be associated with pyridoxine-dependent seizures.
