Seizures

Seizures can have various causes. If the causes are known, the risk of seizures can often be reduced.

What are seizures?

In addition to acute febrile illnesses and dehydration, various everyday influences can also lead to seizures. These everyday influences include loud sounds and / or music or flickering light.

Sudden and abnormal electrical discharges that emanate from the nerve cells of the brain are called seizures. As a rule, seizures occur involuntarily (that is, they cannot be deliberately influenced). Seizures are often accompanied by twitching or spasmodic movements in the muscles of an affected person.

In some cases, however, seizures can also manifest as an abrupt loss of muscle tension. Seizures that occur are often associated with temporary changes in consciousness in those affected. A distinction must be made, for example, between tonic and clonic seizures:

Tonic seizures result in prolonged muscle contractions, while clonic seizures are manifested by rapidly successive twitching of the muscles. While so-called focal seizures are usually limited to individual muscle groups, generalized seizures often spread over large parts of the body.

causes

Seizures can have a variety of causes. For example, various seizures can occur in the context of an existing epilepsy (a disease of the brain). Brain tumors can also be a cause of seizures.

Another possible cause of seizures is inflammation that affects the meninges or brain. Various metabolic disorders or a reduced supply of oxygen that affects the entire body can also lead to seizures.

Seizures are also possible symptoms of acute withdrawal; For example, withdrawal from medication or alcohol can cause seizures. However, sleep deprivation or a constant lack of sleep is also a possible cause of cramps.

In addition to acute febrile illnesses and dehydration, various everyday influences can also lead to seizures. These everyday influences include, for example, loud sounds and / or music or flickering light that can arise, for example, from video games, the television set or also the microwave device.

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➔ Medicines for muscle cramps

Diseases with this symptom

• epilepsy
• Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar)
• stroke
• Wernicke encephalopathy

• Brain tumor
• Early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE)
• poisoning
• Alcohol addiction

• Metabolic disorder
• Encephalitis
• Hypoxia
• Drug addiction

Diagnosis & course

Acute seizures can in many cases be recognized as such based on the physical reactions of the person affected.If the cause of seizures is to be diagnosed, a patient interview usually takes place first, during which, for example, previous illnesses and situations in which seizures have occurred are inquired about.

Depending on the suspected diagnosis, various examinations can provide information about possible diseases that trigger seizures in an affected person. These include, for example, blood tests, tests of neurological functions such as balance or coordination as well as examinations of brain waves using an EEG (electroencephalogram).

The course of seizures depends, among other things, on their cause and the therapeutic measures taken. If the causes of seizures can be eliminated, it is often possible to combat seizures that occur. In the case of chronic illnesses as the cause of seizures, the severity and frequency of the seizures can often be positively influenced by medical measures.

When should you go to the doctor?

Seizures are a painful symptom and indicate a serious underlying condition. A visit to the doctor is recommended if cramps occur repeatedly, which increase in intensity and length, or if the person concerned is excessively stressed in everyday life. If seizures occur spontaneously, there is an increased risk of accidents in road traffic or during manual work. At the latest when the cramps lead to an impairment of everyday life, a doctor must clarify the causes. If the cause remains untreated, organ damage and other complaints can occur.

If during a seizure there is difficulty breathing or physical dysfunction such as loss of consciousness or sensory disturbances, an emergency doctor should be called in immediately. Seizures that last longer than five minutes are also an emergency and require prompt treatment. The attending physician should also be informed in the event of epileptic seizures. The necessary first aid measures can be carried out together until the rescue service arrives. Further contact persons are neurologists, neurosurgeons and doctors for internal medicine, depending on the cause.

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Complications

Seizures are typically a symptom of an epileptic fit. Usually these are only temporary and end after a few minutes without any further consequences. In some cases, however, status epilepticus occurs, which is a medical emergency. It is a chronically existing seizure of varying severity, usually the person affected suffers from a tonic-clonic epilepsy that lasts more than 20 minutes without any recovery.

It is also referred to as a status epilepticus when several seizures follow one another while the patient is in a state of unconsciousness. Without medical treatment, around ten percent of those affected die from the consequences of status epilepticus. Elevated intracranial pressure can also cause a seizure.

If this is not reduced, this can lead to life-threatening consequences. There is a great risk that vital brain structures will become trapped. Above all, the lower entrapment is life-threatening, it comes to the crushing of structures of the cerebellum through the large opening in the skull, so that the spinal cord and the elongated marrow are pressed against the bone and are thereby constricted.

There are vital centers for breathing and circulation, among other things. If this is not treated in time, it can lead to respiratory failure, which in turn can quickly lead to death.

Treatment & Therapy

How and whether seizures are treated medically depends on both the type of seizure and the cause of the seizure.

A distinction can be made between acute treatment of seizures and treatment of the cause: Severe seizures, which are associated with a temporary loss of consciousness, are often associated with various risks of injury. For example, it may be necessary to treat injuries caused by falls during corresponding seizures.

Depending on the severity of the seizures and depending on the patient, severe seizures can also be relieved with anticonvulsant medication (such as Valium).

If an illness has been diagnosed as the cause of seizures in an affected person, another important component of therapy is the treatment of the underlying illness. If a corresponding disease cannot be completely cured, the risk of seizures can be reduced, for example by long-term medication.

Outlook & forecast

In the event of seizures, i.e. not local cramps caused by exercise, a doctor should always be notified, regardless of how severe the seizures were and whether they led to pain. It is a serious symptom that definitely needs to be treated by a doctor.

If left untreated, seizures can occur more frequently and make everyday life very difficult for the patient. The quality of life decreases enormously due to seizures, as the patient can no longer do certain things on his own. In the worst case, cardiac arrest occurs after a seizure. Seizures often result in broken bones, falls or bites into the tongue. The affected people often injure themselves without knowing it.

Treatment is usually carried out with the help of medication; there is no surgical intervention. Whether the treatment will be successful depends heavily on the patient's history and cannot be universally predicted. However, treatments are often successful if started early enough. In this way, long-term consequences and further injuries can be avoided.

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➔ Medicines for muscle cramps

prevention

Are the causes known in the individual case? Seizures cause, individual control of the cause is usually a suitable measure to prevent recurrence of seizures. If the root cause can only be combated to a limited extent, then, for example, injuries during severe seizures can be prevented in acute cases: In the case of very strong convulsions, for example, a bite wedge can prevent injuries in the oral cavity and / or prevent breathing difficulties from clearing the airways.

You can do that yourself

In most cases, seizures cannot and should always be treated with a doctor, not at home. Even if the seizures occur very briefly and rarely, an examination should still be carried out by a doctor. Serious illnesses can be behind the seizures.

In general, stress reduction and relaxation therapy have a positive effect on seizures. Stress-relieving exercises or yoga should be practiced, especially before bed, to avoid night-time seizures. Before going to bed and in the morning for breakfast, it is also advisable to consume magnesium, this can prevent seizures. In most cases, however, the cause of the seizures must be diagnosed by the doctor. Only then can the patient do something about the symptom himself. In any case, a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet have a positive effect on the seizures and can prevent them.

If the seizures occur mainly during exercise, the corresponding areas of the body should not be excessively stressed. Seizures can lead to severe injuries and in the worst case to death. Therefore, seizures must always be examined by a doctor, even if they occur rarely and appear harmless. Incorrect home treatment can lead to serious consequences.