Comprehensive Report on Seizures: Causes, Diagnosis, and Management

This report provides a detailed overview of seizures, beginning with an introduction defining the condition as a neurological disorder characterized by unusual electrical surges in the brain. It explores potential causes, including substance abuse, head injuries, and genetic factors, while also highlighting the absence of a definitive cure. The report categorizes seizures into partial and generalized types, elaborating on their subtypes and associated symptoms, such as simple and complex partial seizures, tonic-clonic, absence, tonic, atonic, and myoclonic seizures. It then discusses diagnostic methods like CAT scans and EEGs and available treatments, including medication, dietary changes, and surgery. Furthermore, the report offers guidance on living with epilepsy, addressing psychological and social challenges and providing first-aid instructions. The report emphasizes the importance of public education, professional guidance, and accessible healthcare for individuals with epilepsy. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of knowledge about seizures to ensure proper treatment and reduce risks.

Running Head: SEIZURES 1
Seizures
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Professor’s Name

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Introduction
A seizure is a disorder that affects the brain neurons causing it to discharge an unusual
electrical surge. This surge affects the normal being of a person. Seizures may last for some few
seconds or minutes. The length of a seizure will depend on how severe the electrical surge is. A
seizure may cause one to experience a change in awareness, have or a convulsion, or stare
briefly. It is important to note that epilepsy is neither a disease nor a psychological disorder.
Cause and Cure
There is no clear cause of the epilepsy disorder. However, about 70% of the cases are
caused by an abuse of substances, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, head injury, infections or birth
traumas (Thompson et al., 2017). The remaining 30% of cases have no clear source for the
disorder. Therefore, it is factual to say that the disorder can affect any person at any age.
Unfortunately, there are no known treatments that can cure the disorder completely.
Types of Seizures
Seizures are generalized into two major categories; partial and generalized seizures.
Partial seizures occur when the neural surge being produced by the brain is limited to one area
(Shiri et al., 2015). Partial seizures are further divided into simple partial and complex partial
seizures.
 Simple partial seizures- These are characterized by one experiencing strange sensations
or unusual body movements. One may experience a sudden jerk of a body part, dizziness,
distortion of sight and smell, sense of anxiety or stomach discomfort. These symptoms
can occur alone or may be accompanied by a generalized seizure.

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 Complex partial seizures- These are characterized by a person losing awareness of the
environment and becoming confused and dazed. A person will tend to do pointless
movements such as walking around, turning the head or mumbling. These actions are
forgotten after the seizure.
Generalized seizures happen when the brain produces a large amount of electrical discharge
that affects the whole brain. They are further classified into tonic-clonic, tonic, atonic, myoclonic
and absence seizures.
 Tonic-clonic seizures-These seizures are commonly referred to as convulsions. They are
first witnessed during childhood or in teenage. The seizures happen in two consecutive
stages, the tonic phase that is followed by a clonic phase. In the tonic phase, the body
muscles stiffen making the person to lose stability and fall. Muscles rapidly stiffen and
relax causing the body to shake violently in the clonic phase. All these happen within a
minute or so. A person experiencing a tonic-clonic seizure may bite their tongue, lips or
cheeks, droll or lose control of their bladder.
 Absence Seizures- These type of seizure is characterized by a person staring blankly into
space. The eyes may roll upwards for a moment and when one regains consciousness,
they cannot recall what just happened. This type of seizure is common in children and
tends to disappear with the onset of adolescence.
 Tonic seizures- In tonic seizures, the body, legs or arms make sudden movements.
Seizures mostly happen during the night and will last for about 20 seconds. One does not
lose consciousness if he/she is awake.

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 Atonic seizures- The body loses all its strength rather than stiffening a seen in tonic and
absence seizures. One may drop things or fall to the ground without warning.
Nevertheless, one does not lose consciousness during the episode.
 Myoclonic Seizures- Myoclonic seizures are characterized by a short jerk of muscles.
Normal people may experience this while falling asleep. However, it may be an extra
symptom to people experiencing other types of seizures.
Diagnose and Treatment of Epilepsy
Evaluation of the disorder involves going through various tests and assessment of one's
medical history. The exact details of how and when the seizures started are crucial while
evaluating the medical history of the patient. Moreover, the family health record is necessary
(Bergey et al., 2015). Medical diagnosis involves certain tests such as CAT scan, EEG, MEG,
MSRI, PET, and SPECT.
Many seizures are controlled by the use of drugs and proper dieting. However, surgery
might be considered where the affected part of the brain can be detected and removed safely
without affecting the normal functioning of the brain. A diet plan is mainly prescribed to children
where they are fed with more fat than carbohydrates (Vespa et al., 2016). Proper dieting is
known to control seizures or even permanently eliminate the disorder among children
(Thompson et al., 2017).
How to Live with Epilepsy
Epilepsy comes with a set of psychological and social difficulties such as problems of
acquiring employment, negative public attitude, financial constraints, and restrictions of driving.
Guiding a child on which course to pursue regarding their disorder is crucial in securing their

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future careers. The public should be educated on the disorder to eliminate stigmatization among
the affected. People with the epilepsy disorder should be encouraged to visit the doctor despite
their financial status. This is because most treatments are already sponsored by the government
and well-wishers making them more affordable (Zhang et al., 2018). A person who has had an
incidence of seizure or is under medication against the same is advised to board a vehicle or hire
a driver.
Things to Note When Offering First-Aid
 Most of the seizures will end after a minute or two and will probably not require medical
attention.
 Bleeding from the mouth is as a result of the person biting their tongue.
 You should not force anything into the mouth of the victim for it may cause harm to the
oracle organs.
 Seizures cannot be stopped once they start.
 Do not restrain a person experiencing seizures for it may cause more harm.
 Seizures are not communicable.
 Remove all the harmful objects around the victim, guide them to a safe place if
necessary.
 Ensure that the person is breathing comfortably after the seizure by rolling them on one
side.
 Talk to the victims gently as seizures triggers agitation.
 Call for medical assistance is seizures are recurring nonstop or if a seizure lasts for more
than five minutes (Morrow $ Hunt, 2017).
The aftermath of a Seizure

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The postictal period is the immediate time after a seizure has passed. A patient
may feel confused, muscle aches, headache or pain in the tongue or cheeks if the person
had bitten them. The effects of the seizure might be severe requiring administration of
antiepileptic drugs. A victim might require some rest or sleep in order to fully recover
from such an episode (Chen et al., 2017).
Having adequate information about seizures is crucial in assisting people who
suffer from the disorder. Moreover, the knowledge helps one to get the right treatment
with regard to the type of seizure. As observed earlier, knowing what to do when one is
experiencing a seizure can reduce the risks of injury or even death.
References

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Bergey, G. K., Morrell, M. J., Mizrahi, E. M., Goldman, A., King-Stephens, D., Nair, D., ... &
Barkley, G. (2015). Long-term treatment with responsive brain stimulation in adults with
refractory partial seizures. Neurology, 10-1212.
Morrow, J., & Hunt, S. (2017). Subclinical Seizures: No Alternative Facts Here!. Canadian
Journal of Critical Care Nursing, 28(2).
Reiter, J. M., Andrews, D., Reiter, C., & LaFrance Jr, W. C. (2015). Taking control of your
seizures: Workbook treatments that work. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Chen, Z., Churilov, L., Koome, M., Chen, Z., Naylor, J., Kwan, P., & Yan, B. (2017). Post-
stroke seizures are associated with low Alberta stroke program early CT score.
Cerebrovascular Diseases, 43(5-6), 259-265.
Thompson, J., Bi, M., Murchison, A. G., Makuch, M., Bien, C. G., Chu, K., ... & Somerville, E.
(2017). The importance of early immunotherapy in patients with faciobrachial dystonic
seizures. Brain, 141(2), 348-356.
Zhang, F., Wang, K., Dong, C., Fenelon, K., Gutierrez, C. M., Sacco, R., & Rundek, T. (2018).
Seizures and the impact on clinical outcomes at discharge in acute stroke patients from a
large multicenter FL-PR registry (P4. 035).
Vespa, P., Tubi, M., Claassen, J., Buitrago‐Blanco, M., McArthur, D., Velazquez, A. G., ... &
Nuwer, M. (2016). Metabolic crisis occurs with seizures and periodic discharges after
brain trauma. Annals of neurology, 79(4), 579-590.

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Shiri, Z., Manseau, F., Lévesque, M., Williams, S., & Avoli, M. (2015). Interneuron activity
leads to initiation of low‐voltage fast‐onset seizures. Annals of neurology, 77(3), 541-
546.