A seizure is a transient abnormal electrical activity that occurs in your brain.¹ If you have two or more seizures of unknown cause separated by more than 24 hours, you have epilepsy.¹ Seizure that lasts more than five minutes is considered a medical emergency. Most seizures are treatable with medications. In this article, we delve into the causes and symptoms of seizures.

Symptoms

Prodromal symptoms

They are early symptoms that may occur hours before the seizure onset. Prodromal symptoms may include:

• Anxiety
• Fear
• Feeling that a person or place is familiar
• Loss of focus
• Mode changes

Seizure symptoms

The symptoms depend on the type of seizure.

Focal seizures

The seizure can originate from the right or left half of your brain. Focal seizure symptoms may include:^2,3

• Normal or impaired awareness
• Unconscious repetitive movement such as blinking
• Loss of muscle tone or involuntary muscle contraction
• Seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling unreal things (hallucinations).
• Emotional changes such as laughing or crying

Generalized seizures 

The seizure can originate from both halves of your brain. Generalized seizures symptoms may include:^2,4

• Loss of consciousness
• Involuntary jerking movements of arms and legs
• Rotated eyes
• Stop breathing for ≥ 10 seconds
• Urine or stool leakage
• Biting of the tongue side

After the seizure, recovery may occur quickly or take hours, depending on the type of seizure.

Causes

• Physical exhaustion
• Fever (febrile seizure)
• Brain infections, trauma, or tumours
• Flashing lights such as video games
• Music
• Hormonal changes such as after menopause
• Sleep deprivation
• Salt (electrolyte) imbalances include low glucose, sodium, calcium, etc.
• Alcohol misuse
• Non-compliance with your anti-epileptic medications
• Intracranial surgery
• Recreational drug use

When to see a doctor

Seek emergency care if:

• The seizure lasts more than five minutes
• No breathing after the seizure
• A second seizure follows immediately
• A seizure with a high fever
• The person who had the seizure is pregnant or diabetic
• The seizure causes an injury

You need to consult a doctor if you have a seizure for the first time 

Complications

• You may fall if a seizure begins while you are standing
• You may drown if a seizure begins while you are swimming
• You can have a car accident if a seizure begins while you are driving
• Depression may occur from some anti-seizure medications
• Direct injuries to the baby of a pregnant woman or
• Birth-defects happen from some anti-seizure medications

FAQ’s

Do seizures indicate that I have epilepsy?

In epilepsy,an abnormal electrical activity in your brain makes you more vulnerable to having seizures.

Is it possible to treat epilepsy?

There is no treatment for Epilepsy. However, you can control your epilepsy by taking anti-epileptic medications and avoiding seizure causes.

How long do most seizures last?

Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. It depends on the type of seizure.

• Absence and atonic seizures usually last less than 20 seconds
• Focal seizures usually last less than two minutes
• Tonic-clonic seizures last one to three minutes

 Seizures lasting for more than five minutes are medical emergencies.

What is status epilepticus?

Status epilepticus is:

When the seizures last for more than five minutes or you have more than one seizure within five minutes without regaining consciousness between the two.

Seizures lasting long are medical emergencies and cause permanent brain damage or death. Long-lasting seizures require medication.

Can I die from epilepsy?

Certain factors can increase your risk of dying from epilepsy:

• Health conditions that cause seizures, such as stroke or brain tumour
• Injuries that happen during a seizure episode can be life-threatening, such as falling or drowning
• Status epilepticus: a seizure that lasts more than five minutes is a life-threatening medical emergency
• Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP): The cause of SUDEP is still unknown. but It is believed that SUDEP may result from changes in breathing or heart rate during a seizure. It's more common in people with poorly controlled epilepsy

Will my children have epilepsy, too?

Most children of people with epilepsy don’t develop seizures or epilepsy during their whole life. However, having epilepsy increases the risk that your children can develop epilepsy.

Why do I need to take medications to treat epilepsy?

You must take your antiepileptic medications because uncontrolled seizures can cause severe injuries or death. Seizures can cause falls, leading to broken bones and head injuries. Uncontrolled seizures can drown you if you swim or have a car accident if you drive.

Can diet help to treat epilepsy?

Ketogenic and modified Atkins diet are both recommended for people who have epilepsy:

• Ketogenic diet: This is a high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet. For every gram of carbohydrate and protein, you eat three to four grams of fat, such as butter, cheese, mayonnaise, olive oil, fatty cuts of meat, full-fat milk, etc. A ketogenic diet can reduce or even prevent seizures in children with seizures that are uncontrolled by medications
• The modified Atkins diet (MAD) is also high in fat and low in carbohydrates. It is the most common diet recommended for adults with epilepsy. The modified Atkins diet (MAD) reduces seizures in almost half of adults with epilepsy

Can video games or flashing lights trigger seizures?

Yes, in people with photosensitivity, epileptic seizures can be triggered by video games or flashing lights. Although antiepileptic medications can help reduce your risk of having seizures, it’s better to avoid these triggers.