Everything You Need To Know About Seizures

Seizures are complex neurological events that occur when the regular processing of the brain is disrupted by some temporary changes in brain activity.

Despite sounding so threatening, seizures are quite difficult to be identified, mainly because they usually last for just a few seconds to a few minutes. In fact, very often, the seizures are so subtle that even the patient fails to recognize that they are having a seizure.

Complications arising from Seizures

Seizures themselves do not pose any immediate danger to the patient. It's the aftermath that causes more trouble. Seizures can land you into a difficult position, no matter how small- if you have one while swimming, you could drown or if you vomit while experiencing a seizure, you might choke on your own vomit. Some other major complications that arise due to seizures are:

• Emotional distress

People coping with seizures, or a more complicated neurological condition, epilepsy, are at a much higher risk of psychological disorders like depression. This is because seizures often cause uncertainty and a sense of fear in the patients.

• Decline of cognitive abilities

If someone experiences a lot of seizures, over a period of time they may experience memory loss and a general decrease in their mental powers.

• Status epilepticus

This is a complicated condition that occurs when someone experiences a seizure or consequent seizures, that continue for a long period without giving the person any time in between them to recover. Medication is needed to take care of this dangerous situation.

• Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Often referred to as SUDEP or Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy is an extreme complication and is not quite understood by the medical fraternity as of now. However, it is estimated that almost every year about 1.16 cases SUDEP stiles for every 1000 people suffering for epilepsy.

Usually, any seizure that lasts longer than five minutes is considered to be a medical emergency. If a person suffers from seizure one after another, that too requires you to call for a doctor as soon as possible. Immediate medical attention is required for people in any of these situations or it might result in permanent damage or in extreme cases, death. Also make sure to have levipil 500mg by your side, it is usually prescribed in case of seizures.

Signs of Seizures

We often associate seizures with someone having full-body convulsions. However, that is not the case. While some people do experience convulsions, most people suffer from seizures that impact only a part of the body or the brain. Here are some of the most common signs of a seizure:

• Convulsions
• Sudden difficulty in controlling certain body parts
• Unusual eye movements
• Drooling
• Vomiting and nausea
• Loss of consciousness
• Exhaustion
• Severe headaches
• Feeling disoriented and confused

Though these are some of the most common symptoms, these are not the only ones. Symptoms of seizures depend on an individual, for example, people who suffer from repeated seizures develop a pattern of behaviour or some sign in their body that can be used to identify a seizure. That said, seizures can still occur suddenly even in people who have a fixed pattern.

How to Respond to Seizures

There is no definite response to a seizure mainly because there are so many types and causes because of which they occur. However, there are some of the basic things you must know:

• Be aware of surroundings

When you or someone with you is experiencing a seizure, be aware of what is around you. Try to avoid falls or the possibility of colliding with furniture or cars. Try to avoid injuries as far as possible.

• Prevent choking

Some people might vomit when they experience a seizure. This puts them at a risk of choking or aspiration. Try to turn such a person on their side and most importantly, do not try to feed during the seizure.

• Be aware of the signs

It is critical for future incidents that you pay attention to the details of a seizure-like if there were any warning signs, the behavior while seizing, how long the seizure lasted, etc. All of these details will need to be documented later so that you can be prepared for the next time and contact the medical services in time.

• Be there in the aftermath

In the immediate aftermath of a seizure, make sure that the suffering individual stays awake. It is quite natural that someone coming out of a seizure will not act like themselves due to being disoriented and exhausted. Bear with them and refrain from offering any food or to make them do something physically strenuous.

• Contact emergency services

The best thing you can do in case of a seizure is to call emergency medical services. It is even more important to get help from the services when someone suffering from seizures is pregnant or has experienced them for the first time. In case the person stops breathing, it is critical to their survival that you contact the services.

People who experience repeated seizures have a personalized seizure protocol that is given by their doctors. Be sure that you are meticulous in following this plan when in an emergency situation. As it may be the difference between their survival and permanent damage to their brain or body.