Approximately 1 in 26 people develop epilepsy, a condition in which someone experiences recurring and unprovoked seizures. But experiencing a seizure does not always mean a person has epilepsy. Seizures can be provoked by acute head injuries, alcohol withdrawal and high blood sugar, among other things. Approximately 1 in 10 people will experience a seizure during their lifetime.
The Conversation asked Dr. Jacob Pellinen, a neurologist specializing in epilepsy, to walk us through how to recognize a seizure in a bystander or loved one, and what to do in those crucial moments after a seizure begins.
What does a seizure look like?
It varies. For some people, their seizure is a purely internal sensation. To an untrained observer, it may appear as though nothing’s wrong. In fact, most people with epilepsy have only relatively subtle, nonconvulsive seizures at first, then develop convulsive seizures over time.
But others having seizures experience full body convulsions with a loss of consciousness. This is the type of seizure most of us are familiar with, probably because it’s the kind most frequently depicted, though not always accurately, in movies and on television. It’s also the most dangerous type of seizure.
These kinds of seizures are sudden, unprovoked and last a couple of minutes. After recovering from the convulsions and loss of consciousness, the person is usually fatigued and confused for several minutes to several hours.
Epileptic seizures may begin with nonconvulsive symptoms, including staring, unresponsiveness, repetitive movements and purely internal sensations, which either stop or progress to convulsions and loss of consciousness.
What causes a seizure to occur?
Seizures are the result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The bursts of activity disrupt normal functioning and initiate hyperactivity in the affected brain area, which then can affect the corresponding body part.
For instance, if the seizure arises from the part of the brain involved in arm movement, that arm will experience involuntary hyperactivity.
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