When a person is having convulsions or seizures, our tendency is to jump to one of two conclusions: either the person is going through drug withdrawal, or he is having an epileptic seizure.
Though drug-related seizures are by far more common, epilepsy remains one of the most misunderstood diseases around.
An epileptic seizure is the result of the electrical discharge of neurons from deep within the brain. Seizures are greatest during infancy and gradually decrease in adults, but their activity starts to increase again in people over age 60. Primary epilepsy is when the illness first appears in childhood. If the seizures have begun to appear only in adulthood, it’s called secondary epilepsy. Secondary epilepsy is usually caused by an underlying disease that must be treated if future seizures are to be prevented. The most common causes of secondary epilepsy are conditions that change the composition of the blood, such as alcoholism, abrupt withdrawal from sedative or hypnotic medications, and low blood sugar.
There are two major types of epileptic seizures. One is called a partial seizure; this occurs in a small area of the brain. The other is a generalized seizure, which involves one or both of the large hemispheres of the brain. A partial seizure may or may not cause a person to lose consciousness; this is commonly referred to as a simple seizure, and it usually occurs in the frontal or temporal areas of the brain. A partial seizure can spread to a generalized seizure if the person loses consciousness. A partial seizure may involve only the shaking of a hand or foot, or it can progress to a series of full-body convulsions.
A generalized seizure can be either convulsive or nonconvulsive. Both of the cerebral hemispheres are affected, resulting in a loss of consciousness and uncontrolled movements that appear all over the body. After a generalized seizure, the person will usually fall into a deep sleep for several hours.
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