Seizure
Uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, which may produce a physical convulsion, minor physical signs, thought disturbances, or a combination of symptoms.
The type of symptoms and seizures depend on where the abnormal electrical activity takes place in the brain, what its cause is, and such factors as the patient’s age and general state of health.
Seizures can be caused by head injuries, brain tumors, lead poisoning, maldevelopment of the brain, genetic and infectious illnesses, and fevers. In fully half of the patients with seizures, no cause can yet be found.
Seizure is abbreviated sz. See also epilepsy.
Read Also:
- Seizure disorders
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Ramsey Hunt syndrome, seizure.
- Seizure, absence
The person suddenly seems to be ‘absent.’ There is a brief loss of awareness, which can be accompanied by blinking or mouth twitching. Absence seizures have a very characteristic appearance on an EEG. Also known as petit mal seizure.
- Seizure, atonic
A seizure in which the person suddenly loses muscle tone and cannot sit or stand upright. Also known as drop attack and drop seizure.
- Seizure, febrile
A convulsion that occurs in association with a fever. Febrile seizures are common in infants and young children and are usually of no lasting importance.
- Seizure, Jacksonian
A form of seizure that involves brief alterations in movement, sensation, or nerve function that is caused by abnormal electrical activity in a localized area of the brain. Jacksonian seizures typically cause no change in awareness or alertness. They are transient, fleeting, and ephemeral.