Seizures l: Introduction

A seizure is a transient episode of abnormal, excessive electrical activity in the brain that disrupts normal neurologic function. Epilepsy is a disorder in which a person has a long-term tendency to have repeated, unprovoked seizures.

Some seizures cause convulsions—violent shaking due to rapid muscle contractions. Others may be more subtle but less easily recognized.

Focal seizures begin in a specific region of the brain and may or may not impair awareness. When awareness is preserved, sensory symptoms such as tingling or unusual smells are referred to clinically as an aura.

Generalized seizures affect both sides of the brain at once. A person may collapse, stiffen, and jerk rhythmically.

A prodrome may appear hours earlier with nonspecific symptoms, like mood changes or headaches. The postictal state is a temporary period following a seizure, often marked by confusion or fatigue.

Status epilepticus is a life-threatening emergency defined as a seizure lasting more than five minutes or repeated seizures without regaining consciousness between episodes.