During a seizure, the brain's nerve cells, also called neurons, send out sudden and uncontrolled signals, and the brain needs over 200 times the normal amount of oxygen. There are several complications--due to a lack of oxygen to the brain, physical injuries acquired during the seizure or from medications--that can result from a seizure disorder.
Children of Women With Seizure Disorders
The number of children with a seizure disorder, mental retardation or who were stillborn is higher in women who have a seizure disorder, according to the text "Clinical Neurology." Children born with heart abnormalities, a cleft lip or cleft palate are twice as common in women who took antiseizure medication during their pregnancy when compared with women who have a seizure disorder but did not take any antiseizure medications while pregnant.
Status Epilepticus
Status epilepticus is the medical term for the disorder where people have one seizure that lasts longer than 10 minutes, or two or more seizures back-to-back without returning to consciousness. This complication is a medical emergency because seizures that last longer than an hour can cause permanent brain damage or death, explains The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. People may develop status epilepticus for many reasons, including as a result of trauma to the head or because they stopped taking their medications.
Permanent Brain Damage
In a seizure, some of the nerve cells in the brain send out electrical signals in a sudden, uncontrolled and abnormal way. This group of neurons can also cause nearby neurons to send out abnormal electrical signals. When somebody is having a seizure, the brain needs over 200 times the amount of oxygen than it normally has to have, explains the "Handbook of Pathophysiology." Without this extra amount of oxygen, people can develop brain damage which may become permanent. They can also develop learning disabilities, and the lack of oxygen can even cause a stroke.
Injury
People risk injury when they fall during a seizure. The injuries are usually minor ones, but some people get fractures. They can be injured if they fall against a hot stove, from heights or near any moving machinery, and can injure themselves and others if they have a seizure while driving. Many Departments of Motor Vehicles require notification if someone has this disorder. Physicians stress the risk of injuries to children with a seizure disorder, especially the risk of drowning, notes "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatrics."
Aspiration Pneumonia
A seizure disorder can cause aspiration pneumonia if people inhale fluid into their lungs during the seizure. People normally inhale a very small amount of secretions from the mouth, but the respiratory defenses in the lungs take care of this. If large amounts of fluid are inhaled, as during a seizure, it can lead to an infection in the lungs, states The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library.
References
- "Clinical Neurology"; Roger Simon, M.D., David Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Michael Aminoff, M.D.; 2009
- "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatrics"; William Hay, Jr., M.D., Myron Levin, M.D., Judith Sondheimer, M.D., Robin Deterding, M.D.; 2009
- "Handbook of Pathophysiology"; Elizabeth Corwin, MSN, Ph.D., FNP; 2000
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Aspiration Pneumonitis and Pneumonia
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Seizure Disorders
