Seizures, or convulsions, are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. A seizure can be described as a short circuit of the electrical signals inside the brain. They can be caused by brain damage, trauma, infections or conditions that increase the pressure inside the brain. Other common causes of seizures include fevers, electrolyte abnormalities, toxins and some medicines. There are several types of seizures.
Generalized Seizures
These are the most common type of seizures. The best-known generalized seizure is the tonic-clonic convulsion, also know as grand mal epilepsy. They usually involve whole body tensing and shaking with extremities flexing and extending in an uncoordinated fashion. Patients with generalized tonic-clonic seizures usually roll their eyes to the back of their head and clench their teeth. They can suffer loss of bladder and bowel functions. Contrary to popular belief, patients do not run the risk of swallowing their own tongue, but they run the risk of aspiration of stomach or mouth secretions into the lungs, especially if the seizure is prolonged. Another type of generalized seizure is the myoclonic seizure or jerk. During a myoclonic jerk, the patient has brief muscle spasms that mimic jerking or twitching.
Partial Seizures
These seizures involve just one part of the body. They usually manifest with unilateral extremity shaking, face or mouth twitching. The symptoms correlate to the area of the brain that is misfiring. Sometimes these partial seizures are exclusively sensory events. In these, the patient may have feeling of pins and needles in their skin or detect a specific smell or taste. Occasionally, these partial seizures can generalize into a full-blown tonic-clonic seizure.
Absence Seizures
These seizures manifest themselves as brief episodes of staring. They are also known as petit mal seizures. During this seizure, the patient loses complete awareness of his surroundings. They don't have any warning that the seizure is going to occur and don't realize that they've had one. To an observer, the patient appears to be staring off into space. Some absence seizures involve muscle activity like eye twitching. These are known as complex absence seizures.
