Free Essay

Seizure

In: Science

Submitted By ida17
Words 379
Pages 2
All types of seizures are caused by disorganised and sudden electrical activity in the brain. The causes of seizures can include: * Abnormal levels of sodium or glucose in the blood * Brain infection including meningitis * Brain injury that occurs to the baby during childbirth * Brain problems that occur before birth (congenital brain defects) * Brain tumour (rare) * Drug abuse * Electric shock * Epilepsy * Fever ( particularly in young children) * Head injury * Heart disease * Heat illness (heat intolerance) * High fever * Phenylketonuria (PKU) which can cause seizures in infants * Poisoning * Street drugs such as angel dust (PCP), cocaine, amphetamines * Stroke * Toxaemia of pregnancy * Toxin build up in the body due to liver or kidney failure * Very high blood pressure (malignant hypertension) * Venomous bites and stings (snake bite) * Withdrawal from alcohol or certain medicines after using for a long time.

However, there are seizures that causes cannot be found which is called idiopathic seizures. It usually seen in children and young adults but can occur at any age. It could be a family history of epilepsy or seizures.
Common causes of seizures by age:
In Newborns: * Lack of oxygen during birth * Brain malformations * Low levels of blood sugar, blood calcium, blood magnesium or other electrolyte disturbances * Inborn errors of metabolism * Intracranial haemorrhage * Maternal drug use

In infants and Children: * Fever (febrile seizures) * Brain tumour (rarely) * Infection
In children and Adults: * Congenital conditions (Down’s syndrome, Angel man’s syndrome, tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis) * Genetic factors * Progressive brain disease (rare) * Head trauma
In seniors: * Stroke * Alzheimer’s disease * Trauma

Causes of seizures: * High fever – heatstroke and infections

* Brain infections – Abscess, AIDS, malaria, meningitis, rabies, syphilis, tetanus, toxoplasmosis and viral encephalitis

* Metabolic disorders – High blood levels of sugar or sodium Low blood levels of sugar, calcium, magnesium or sodium

* Other disorders – kidney or liver failure, an underactive parathyroid gland, lack of vitamin B6 in newborns

* Inadequate oxygen supply to the brain – cardiac arrest, carbon monoxide poisoning, drowning, near suffocation, vascularise

* Structural damage to the brain – brain tumour, head injury, hydrocephalus, Intracranial haemorrhage, stroke

* Abnormalities present or occurring at birth – birth defect, hereditary metabolic disorders like Tay-Sachs disease, Injury during birth

* Fluid accumulation in the brain (cerebral oedema) – eclampsia, hypertensive Encephalopathy * Exposure to toxins – lead and strychnine

* Withdrawal of a drug after heavy use – alcohol, general anesthetics, sedatives Including sleep aids

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Seizures

...Seizures When you think about seizures, you think about convulsions or foaming of the mouth. The realization of it is that there are more than one form or type of seizures. The first is epilepsy which reoccurs throughout a child life until adulthood. The next is febrile seizure which it starts in children 5 years old and younger and with this form of seizure there is no reoccurrence and since there is a cutoff point to where the child does grow out of it there is no damage to the growth or learning development in the child. The febrile seizure is also because of the high temperature in a child where is above 100.4 Fahrenheit. The things that you do when you realize that a child is having a seizure is to make sure that you remain calm in with the seizure of a child. Even though it is a traumatic sight to see your child or any child go through this I know for personal experience your calmness will help with the process of the duration of the child’s seizure. The steps that you would take is to make sure that when a child is seizing that there is nothing blocking the child’s way all sharp things and edges is moved out of the way of the child. Rolling the child on his/her side enables the child not to swallow any vomit that may come up during the seizure. If you are able to tilt the chin up on the child so air is able be received. The last but not least refrain from putting anything in the child’s mouth allow the child to finish seizing before you move them. When a child has...

Words: 1153 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Seizures.

...Seizures/Epilepsy Epilepsy occurs as a result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Brain cells communicate by sending electrical signals in an orderly pattern. In epilepsy, these electrical signals become abnormal, giving rise to an "electrical storm" that produces seizures. These storms may be within a specific part of the brain or may be generalized, depending on the type of epilepsy. Epilepsy is the oldest-known brain disorder; in the early ages people did not understand the causes, people often thought that it was a demon possession. It was not until the late 1880s that the disease was correctly identified. Dr. John Jackson, a famous English neurologist, was the first person to correctly determine the characteristics of epilepsy. (EHow) Epilepsy in America is growing, is it that more people are having seizures, or diagnosis is just getting better? 1 in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy in their lifetime. An estimated 3 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide currently live with epilepsy. Each year at least 200,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy. In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown. Doctors still can't find why people have epilepsy, some doctors believe that it is not hereditary but many do. In most cases, about 8 out of 10 people their epilepsy is unknown. This is because epilepsy runs in many families and seems to be passed down generation by generation. Although some doctors believe epilepsy is not hereditary...

Words: 1827 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Tonic Clonic Seizures

...will have a seizure in their lifetime, but to be diagnosed with epilepsy a person has to have two or more reasonless seizures (Mayo). Though they may not have seizures every day, wondering when the next attack will come does affect them on a daily basis. What exactly are seizures and how does the occurrence in the brain work? In this essay I will look at two major types of seizures, the signs and symptoms of each type, and what goes on within the brain while each type is occurring. Grand mal seizures, also known as tonic-clonic seizures, are the first type of attack that will be discussed. These are referred to as tonic-clonic seizures because there is a tonic portion, where the muscles stiffen and the person loses consciousness, and a clonic portion, where the person begins to twitch and convulse (Devinsky, 2013). At the start of the attack, head turning and visual searching can be...

Words: 1232 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Seizure Prec

...Seizure Precautions for Pediatric Bedside Nurses Over the course of their careers, many inpatient pediatric nurses will care for a patient with seizures or who is at risk for seizures. Although often anxiety-provoking, the fear can be diminished by thinking critically about each child’s seizure. The nursing management of pediatric seizures, for which patient safety is the priority, should be driven by the clinical presentation of the child’s event. This article will present an algorithm to assist bedside nurses in safely caring for children with a variety of seizure types. The algorithm can be used as a road map to assist staff nurses in safely and appropriately stocking patients’ bedsides with emergency equipment as needed for children with seizures. However, to understand the clinical symptoms of a seizure, it is important to first review basic pathophysiology and seizure classification. What Is a Seizure? Seizures are a common neurologic disorder of childhood, and many pediatric nurses will care for children with epilepsy during their careers. The term “seizure precautions” is used frequently in nursing practice; however, its definition varies among institutions. Childhood epilepsy has many phenotypes, and while some children require airway clearance and ventilatory support in the event of a seizure, many will not. The bedside equipment for a child with seizures should reflect the patient’s symptoms. To that end, an algorithm based on seizure classification and current...

Words: 1256 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Search and Seizure

...Search and Seizure Louisa Barnes CJ333: Constitutional Law March 16, 2014 Erin Shriver SEARCH AND SEIZURE Constitutional Search The high school students were throwing a party that created so much noise that a noise complaint was lodged with the police by a neighbor. This gave the police the right to enter onto the property to investigate the complaint. Once they arrived at the residence and started talking to the party goers they smelled marijuana on the individuals. Because of the reasonable suspicion and probable cause that criminal activity was taking place they had a right to search the premises. This is found in the Fourth Amendment under Probable Cause and Reasonable Suspicion (Farlex, Inc., 2014).To protect evidence from being destroyed they also had a need for the search of the premises. To protect themselves as well as possible evidence they were also permitted to frisk the individuals that were out on the porch of the house. This exercise is permitted when they have reasonable suspicion that a criminal activity is taking place (Daniel E. Hall, 2012, pp. 509-510). While frisking the individuals a bag of marijuana was found. This led the police officers to then call for backup for searching the house before evidence inside the property could be destroyed before a warrant could be obtained. While waiting on the backup they proceeded to search the remaining individuals inside the home, again to keep themselves safe. Drugs are a type of evidence that can disappear...

Words: 1268 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Search & Seizure

...Search & Seizure A police officer is dispatched to a call in his jurisdiction for a noise complaint. The police officer arrives hearing very loud music coming from the residence which violates a noise ordinance. The police officer knocks on the front door with no answer so he proceeds to the back door to knock when he observes what appears to be marijuana plants based on his training and experience. The police officer can seize the marijuana plants based on the Plain View Doctrine. “In Harris v. United States (1968), the Supreme Court ruled that anything a police officer sees in plain view, when the officer has a right to be where he or she is, is not the product of a search and is therefore admissible as evidence.” [1] The police officer is legally in a place in which he should be because of the noise complaint call. The police officer recognized the marijuana plants as contraband and has the right to seize them without a search warrant. “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”[2] The police officer needs to obtain a search warrant in order to search the rest of the residence. With no exception present, the police officer would be violating the resident’s Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure if he conducted a full search of the residence without a search warrant. “The Fourth Amendment is as follows:...

Words: 696 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Pediatric Febrile Seizure Research Paper

...Pediatric Febrile Seizures 2 Whitney Wang What are Pediatric Febrile Seizures? 3 They are convulsions brought on by a fever in small infants and children. These fevers are usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection in the child’s body and accompanied by certain vaccinations. Vaccinations DO NOT cause fevers. 2 More commonly, during this kind of seizure, the child loses consciousness and shakes, moving limbs on both sides of the body. 4 Less commonly, during this kind of seizure, the child becomes rigid or has twitches in only a portion of the body. Most febrile seizures last a minute or two. Some seizures can be as brief as seconds or continue for more than 15 minutes. 2 Majority of children with febrile seizures have rectal temperatures...

Words: 1464 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Summary: Tonic-Clonic Seizures

...types of seizures. They are classified in 3 major categories. The first being Focal Onset, the second being Generalized Onset, and the last being Unknown Onset. When the person is awake during a seizure this is called Focal Onset Aware Seizure. When the person is confused or their awareness is affected in some way during the seizure this is called Focal Onset Impaired Awareness. Focal Seizures start in one side of the brain. When a person is having a Generalized Onset Seizure these seizures affect both sides of the brain at the same time. Some of Generalized Onset Seizures include Tonic-Clonic, Absence, and Atonic. An Unknown Onset Seizure is when the beginning of the seizure is not known, or when no one witnessed or seen it. When a seizure happens at...

Words: 624 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Search and Seizure

...Search and Seizure in America CJA/364 February 10, 2015 Search and Seizure in America The fourth amendment has given us the protection against unreasonable search and seizure but what exactly does that mean? To understand, one must define right of privacy, search, seizure, arrest, and reasonableness and how each of these relates to stop and frisk, automotive search rules, and requirements regarding border and regulatory searches. Have you ever been stopped on the street or anywhere and frisked by a police officer? Individuals should be aware of the rules regarding such a situation. In the state of New York, the people, "Mayor Michael Bloomberg" (Wells 2013, p. 1) and the district court judge "Shira Scheindlin" (Wells 2013) argued about reforming the stop and frisk policy. The objective issues in improving system addressed after a stop and frisk case won by the arrestee. In the case involving the arrestee "David Ourlicht" (Whitaker, 2013, p. 1) claimed he was wrongfully stopped and frisked. The officer stopped and frisked the defendant because the object in his pocket resembled a gun. The attorney representing the defendant argued his constitutional rights, and the stop and frisk was unconstitutional. The environment of the Missouri cities, counties, suburbs, and rural area are subject to society socialization, private activity, and deviant behavior which may cause the proper authority to respond to the nature of the action the same as in New York City. Society plays...

Words: 1651 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Cannabis Verses Pharmaceutical Drugs to Treat Seizure Disorders

...Cannabis verses pharmaceutical drugs to treat seizure disorders Melissa M. Phillips COM/172 April 21, 2014 Scott Tobias Cannabis verses pharmaceutical drugs to treat seizure disorders. Chronic illnesses are prevalent this day and age due to various environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and the use of pharmaceutical drugs. There are various pharmaceutical drugs to treat patients who have chronic pain, depression, anxiety, Alzheimer's, cancer, and various seizure disorders. However, the effects of pharmaceutical drugs on people’s major organs are devastating. Cannabis is a much safer, 100% natural approach to treating chronic illnesses and it is not damaging to peoples organs. In fact, the human body has built in cannabinoid receptors in the brain and the spleen, and our bodies actually create our own cannabinoid proteins, which contains no psychoactive component. Therefore, the human body creates its own cannabis. Personally, being through what I have been through with my chronic illness; Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), and the numerous amounts of pharmaceutical drugs I have been prescribed. I have had severe allergic reactions to various pharmaceutical drugs, a medication induced seizure, and could have possibly overdosed due to the wrong amount of medication being prescribed. Given my current situation and my new perspective on consuming something that has been on this planet for millions of years (holistic ancient medicine), or consuming something...

Words: 1670 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Philosophy

...Epilepsy a Seizure Disorder Rebekah Brothers Snead State Community College 4/13/2014 NUR 203 Nursing Through the Lifespan Abstract In this paper Evidence-Based practice will be used as a guide through the nursing process for clients with a seizure disorder. This is a discussion on etiology of seizures. We will also explain the different types of seizures. The specific care for clients experiencing a seizure. The critical data that the physician needs in order to help the client. And the education of the client and family on how to deal with this disorder. *This sounds good for an abstract. It doesn’t necessarily have to be long* Witnessing a seizure is not something you are likely to forget, but as a bedside nurse it is something you are bound to experience. Seizures are a transient disruption in brain function caused by excessive electrical discharge of cortical neurons in one or more areas of the brain. They affect an estimated 25 million Americans. Each year in the United states, 300,000 people—120,000 of the younger than 18 have a seizure for the first time, and about 181,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy. The proper functioning of the brain involves the brain sending electronic pulses to receptors for information communication. The receptors include muscles, nerves, and the spinal cord. However, any disruption of a part of the brain will mean that the brain sends abnormal messages to the receptors which...

Words: 1500 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Epilepsy

...disturbed, causing the person to have seizures. It can cause strange sensations, emotions, and behaviors. Anything that can disturb the normal pattern of neuron activity can lead to a seizure. Such as, illness,brain damage, abnormal brain development, stroke,brain tumor, and drug and alcohol misuse. The cause of most cases are unknown. Having one seizure due to a elevating fever, called febrile seizures, or a simple head injury does not mean that person has epilepsy. Usually two or more will determine if that person has epilepsy, but not in all cases. A confirmation of epilepsy is done by a test that measures the electrical activity in the brain and brain scans called electroencephalogram or EEG. There are six main types of generalized seizures: tonic-clonic,tonic,clonic,myoclonic,absense, and atonic. They all will involve loss of consciousness and typically will happen without warning. Tonic-clonic seizures present with a contraction of the limbs lasting about 10-30 seconds called a tonic phase. Followed by a shaking of the limbs in unison. This is called the clonic phase. A person will often turn blue as breathing has stopped. Once the clonic phase has stopped it usually takes about 3-15 minutes for the person to return to normal but can last for hours. This period is called the postictal state or phase. Common symptoms of this phase may include feeling tired, headache, difficulty speaking,and abnormal behavior. Psychosis after a seizure is very common. The person will not...

Words: 679 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

How Does Epilepsy Affect The Body

...epilepsy along with Altheimers can make the memory loss worsen. The link between epilepsy and Althemers is still not completely clear at this point of research. Another tissue damaging disorder that can cause or affect epilepsy are infections that affect the brain such as, brain abscess, meningitis, encephelitas, and HIV/AIDS. These types of infections alter or damage the brain tissue. Infections of the brain such as a brain abscess and meningitis start from bacteria getting into the brain through the blood stream. The result is shown in infected brain cells, white blood cells, and fungi collecting in one area of the brain, once this happens the tissues in this area start to break down which can in some cases cause partial seizure and develop into partial seizure...

Words: 665 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Epilepsy

...Epilepsy Temporal lobe epilepsy; Seizure disorder Last reviewed: March 28, 2011. Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures (convulsions) over time. Seizures are episodes of disturbed brain activity that cause changes in attention or behavior. See also: Seizures Causes, incidence, and risk factors Epilepsy occurs when permanent changes in brain tissue cause the brain to be too excitable or jumpy. The brain sends out abnormal signals. This results in repeated, unpredictable seizures. (A single seizure that does not happen again is not epilepsy.) Epilepsy may be due to a medical condition or injury that affects the brain, or the cause may be unknown (idiopathic). Common causes of epilepsy include: * Stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) * Dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease * Traumatic brain injury * Infections, including brain abscess, meningitis, encephalitis, and AIDS * Brain problems that are present at birth (congenital brain defect) * Brain injury that occurs during or near bith * Metabolism disorders that a child may be born with (such as phenylketonuria) * Brain tumor * Abnormal blood vessels in the brain * Other illness that damage or destroy brain tissue Epilepsy seizures usually begin between ages 5 and 20, but they can happen at any age. There may be a family history of seizures or epilepsy. Symptoms Symptoms vary from person to person. Some people may have simple staring spells, while...

Words: 1276 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Epilepsy

...known as a seizure disorder is a chronic brain disorder that stops the normal electrical flow to the brain causing seizures. PubMed Health (2012) states “Epilepsy occurs when permanent changes in brain tissue cause the brain to be too excitable or jumpy.” Epilepsy is a subject near to my heart due to my boyfriend’s daily battles with this disease. He is either taking a drug store worth of pills every day or he risks of having a seizure. According to A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia (2012) “A seizure is a sudden brief change in the electrical and chemical activity in your brain” The attack only takes a few minutes, and once it is over, the victim is tired and confused as he regains consciousness. Epilepsy is one of the earliest forms of mental diseases that were recorded in history. Epilepsy occurs when the clusters of cells or neurons signal abnormally affecting the brain. Normally, the neurons act as information highways in the body as they determine the feelings that someone gets. In the case, where one has epilepsy the neurons normal activity pattern is disturbed causing the body to react in a funny manner ranging from strange feelings, convulsions, muscle spasms, and even loss of consciousness. Epilepsy affects all people differently, attacking frequently in some, while in others attacking only seldom. Epilepsy can be attributed to the seizures, but having seizures can not necessarily mean one has epilepsy. The fact that someone is experiencing seizures may show...

Words: 1875 - Pages: 8