Epileptic seizures: what they are, what symptoms they present with, what to do when they occur

When it comes to epilepsy It comes naturally to think of the classic convulsive crisis in which the person loses consciousness and has repetitive shaking of the whole body. Actually the convulsive one it is neither the only nor the most frequent type of epileptic seizure.

What is an epileptic seizure?

“The Seizures they are recurring episodes of alterations in brain functions due to a malfunction of the nerve cells (neurons) of the brain which normally communicate with each other with electrical impulses. The crisis occurs at the moment neurons become hyperactive and discharge electrical impulses excessively, causing a sort of short circuit that lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes – explains Professor Maria Paola Canevini, director of the Regional Epilepsy Center of the Santi Paolo e Carlo Asst of Milan, University of Milan -. Exist different types of crisesgenerally distinguished in focalwhen the “shock” involves a limited part of the brain, e generalizedwhen both cerebral hemispheres are involved from the beginning.”

How does it manifest itself?

“The focal crises they can have originates from any point in the brain and therefore have many different manifestations depending on the area affected by the abnormal discharge. For example, if the temporal lobe, there may be a sensation that rises from the stomach towards the throat or sensations that concern memory such as deja vu. What is important to understand is whether or not there is awareness. The crises that determine aalteration of awareness they have a much greater impact on the quality of life because you have to be careful in different situations, for example when driving a car or in water. The focal crises they can have limited symptomswith or without alteration of awareness, or become of Bilateral generalized tonic-clonic seizureswhat they were once called convulsions. In these cases the person loses consciousness, if he is standing he falls and is struck by involuntary shocks. When you witness this type of crisis, it is important to look at how long it lasts, beyond five minutes you have to call for help to administer medications for stop seizures».

Treatment

For the diagnosis it is fundamental a correct specialist classification based on what the patient feels and what any witnesses may have seen during the crisis. «Once acute pathologies have been excluded, a procedure must be performed electroencephalogramwhich can help frame theorigin of the crisis (focal or generalized)and then the Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain to highlight any injuries. In some situations they are also done genetic tests because many forms of epilepsy originate from genetic mutations and discovering this helps to personalize the treatment. In most cases seizures can be treated with medications which keep the abnormal electrical discharge under control, but do not cure epilepsy. In other situations, for example in the case of epilepsies associated with lesions that make them resistant to drugs, a surgical treatment» reports Canevini.