Symptoms, causes and treatment of epileptic seizures

2 Types of pathology

The disease is divided into six subgroups. Each of them has different signs of epilepsy, clinical pictures, which means that the treatment will be different.

Idiopathic form

When such an epilepsy occurs, the reasons lie in the deviation in the work of neurons of the brain, because of which a person can experience excessive excitability. The reasons for this deviation may be:

• genetic predisposition;
• disease of the nervous system of the body;
• abnormalities in the development of the brain;
• alcohol abuse and various medications.

Seizures in this case are localized in the face and throat area, sometimes also go to the limbs. This factor depends on the affected area of ​​the brain and its functions. In most cases, such a pathology occurs in children and passes naturally through to seventeen or eighteen years of age.

Focal Form

Idiopathic epilepsy is a type of focal. Focal form, in fact, is called any form of epilepsy in children. In addition to idiopathic reasons, the focal appearance of the disease can be caused by:

• traumas and microtrauma of the brain;
• diseases of organs of various systems;
• with acute or chronic infectious diseases;
• with congenital injuries;
• hypertension;
• with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.

During an attack, children may experience hallucinations, nausea and vomiting, sweating. Such a disease does not require serious intervention, but sometimes medications and procedures that reduce the number of seizures are prescribed for prevention.

Temporal form of

The temporal type of the disease is observed in the temporal head injuries, as well as after a stroke or infectious diseases affecting the brain, for example, encephalitis.

Seizures accompany such symptoms of epilepsy as pain in the abdomen and heart, nausea, difficulty breathing. Also, a person often loses orientation in space, coordination is disturbed. Epileptic with this form experiences an unreasonable sense of anxiety and anxiety.

Treatment of this form of the disease consists in the elimination of the cause of the onset, as well as the prevention of seizures.

Partial form

Partial type of the disease develops due to damage to the cells of one of the brain departments, so this ailment is divided into several types:

• frontal;
• temporal;
• parietal;
• occipital;
• multifocal.

When the latter is affected at once several parts of the brain.

Signs of epilepsy directly depend on the affected area of ​​the brain and its functions. For example, with a lesion of the temporal region, an attack of epilepsy is complex. The epileptic in this case freezes or loses consciousness. And when the occipital form is impaired vision, hallucinations can occur.

This form is treated with drugs that have an anticonvulsant nature of action. In neglected cases, the patient is put on treatment in the neurosurgical department. Also in the treatment can be added psychotherapy.

Jacksonian form

This type of epilepsy is named after its pioneer. This is a special type, in which seizures can affect only one or another part of the body. This means that only one side of the brain is affected. The causes of such a disease are:

• craniocerebral trauma and microtrauma;
• developmental abnormalities;
• tumors( benign and malignant);
• disease, such as tick-borne encephalitis.

Signs of epilepsy with this form begin in one of the limbs, and then spread further, but only one half of the body. The affected area of ​​the brain is inversely proportional to the diseased side of the body, that is, if the convulsions appear on the right side, then the left side of the brain is damaged.

With such attacks, the epileptic always remains conscious. Treatment can be medicated, and in some cases surgery is required.

Juvenile myoclonic form

Juvenile type of disease is the most common. It also has the name "Yantsz syndrome".The risk group most often falls into boys aged 10 to 16 years, less often - infants.

Causes of development of juvenile epilepsy:

• trauma and microtrauma of the head;
• trauma in pregnancy;
• injury at the time of delivery;
• infectious diseases;
• tumors;
• hemorrhage or oxygen starvation of the brain.

In such cases, there are classic seizures, which can be both convulsive and asian. The treatment is medicated. Sometimes with age, such epilepsy passes, otherwise - a person will have to take medical measures throughout life.

1 Etiology of the disease

Attacks in epilepsy are due to the fact that in the human brain simultaneously appears a lot of nerve impulses. With such overexcitation, the body will cope very difficult, so an epileptic seizure occurs.

The prerequisites for appearance may be very different. Specialists give priority to the following:

• genetic predisposition( and heredity can be transmitted through many generations);
• craniocerebral trauma, microtrauma, any other damage;
• intoxication of the body;
• Malignant oncology or cyst;
• anomalies in development;
• stroke, microstroke.

In some clinical cases, the cause of the disease has not been identified. This epilepsy is called cryptogenic.

In three cases out of four, epilepsy is diagnosed in people under the age of 20, a problem that is almost always referred to as idiopathic( inherited) epilepsy. If the disease appears later, most often it is caused by trauma or illness of other systems in the human body.

3 Characteristic signs of the disease

Seizures in epilepsy are divided into non-convulsive and convulsive. The first group is also called the absences. When the seizure of epilepsy is not accompanied by a spasm, it lasts only a few seconds. At the same time the epileptic fades, looks at one point, and then again returns to the surrounding environment. Sometimes this form of epilepsy is not even diagnosed. It can be observed in children and passes with age, remaining unnoticed.

Seizures are considered a more dangerous form of the disease. Such an attack, as a rule, is divided into 5 stages:

1. Aura. As with a simple migraine, with epilepsy, malaises begin several hours before the onset of a seizure. Such precursors are the excessive excitement of the epileptic, anxiety and anxiety. Sometimes the aura stage is accompanied by a headache.
2. The appearance of tonic convulsions is the next phase of the ailment. With them, all muscles freeze in tension. Then the epileptic falls with his head thrown back. The face of the patient turns blue, because at that moment a person does not breathe. This stage lasts from fifteen seconds to several minutes.
3. Tonic convulsions are followed by clonic seizures. All the muscles of the body are intensively contracted, an increase in the salivary glands is observed, as a result of which foam is released from the mouth. Abbreviations can last up to 5-7 minutes.
4. After the cramping the patient enters with a state of stupor. All muscles are relaxed, consciousness is lost. In stupor, the epileptic can be up to half an hour.
5. Gradually, the stupor gives way to a simple sleep, and the person may not even regain consciousness.

Within a few days after the attack, the patient may experience headaches, nausea, weakness and fatigue. Sometimes there are violations of coordination and movements.

In addition, it is common to identify several common signs that accompany the life of the epileptic:

• numbness of the tongue and lips, speech function violation;
• of limb cramps;
• memory corruption;
• abundant salivation;
• headache, migraine.

Such signs of epilepsy can appear suddenly and disappear both with convulsive and with an unconvulsive form of epilepsy.

4 Diagnosis and prognosis for

disease Because of the extensive classification, the specialist needs to determine not only the presence of the disease, but also its appearance. To diagnose, apply such examinations as:

1. Electroencephalography.
2. MRI.
3. Computerized tomography.

In 70% of cases, the prognosis for confirming the diagnosis is favorable. This does not guarantee a full recovery, but it means that the epileptic can live on par with the healthy people .Thus the patient, probably, all life will accept medicines. However, in comparison with the unfavorable prognosis, in which an operation is required and a lethal outcome is possible, the medication is a good option.

5 Scheme of therapy

Treatment methods include drug treatment and surgery. They are prescribed epileptic depending on the form and stage of the disease development.

6 Medical treatment

The drugs taken are divided into several groups. Most often the epileptic is prescribed a reception:

1. Carboxamide.
2. Valproate.
3. Phenytoin.
4. Phenobarbital

The specialist selects them individually in each case, taking into account the type of disease. From the same point of view, the dosage of the drug is chosen.

Drugs prescribed by a doctor should be taken regularly, not just when seizures occur. Also during the treatment period it is necessary to adhere to the following rules:

• not to change the dosage of drugs;
• do not use other drugs;
• do not use analogs without consulting a doctor;
• does not stop receiving even with positive dynamics;
• , if any indispositions occur, report this to the treating doctor.

In addition to epileptic drugs, the patient may be prescribed anticonvulsants, as well as vitamin complexes and a diet.

7 Surgical intervention

Operation with epilepsy is rarely prescribed, although it has a high enough efficiency in all its forms. This is due to the high risks of surgical intervention, which characterizes all craniocerebral operations. In 80% of cases after surgical treatment, attacks and the patient cease forever. But not every specialist is able to treat epilepsy in this way.

8 First aid for an attack of

Often in everyday life situations arise when the epileptic seizure begins unexpectedly. It can happen at home, at work or even on the street. Close relatives and friends of the epileptic should always know how to help him in case of an exacerbation of the disease. For this, the following tips should be followed:

1. Remove all garments and foreign objects that interfere with breathing. Ensure the flow of oxygen( do not crowd over the epileptic, in a stuffy room - open the windows).
2. Turn the head to the side, keep at a level above the body. To make sure that your tongue does not sink, you can insert something into your mouth, for example, a spoon.
3. When breathing is stopped, no action should be taken, it should return within a minute. If this did not happen, start a cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
4. You can not move, press, forcefully hold a person in one position.

In case of seizure, call an ambulance. It is up to the individual to take only those actions that are really necessary. You can not panic, no matter what happens. Sometimes epileptic seizures are horrible, for example, the whites of the eyes rotate.