Around 1 in 26 individuals develop epilepsy, a condition in which someone experiences recurring and unprovoked seizures. However, experiencing a seizure does not always mean a person has epilepsy. Seizures can be triggered by severe head injuries, alcohol withdrawal and high blood sugar, among other things. Around 1 in 10 individuals will experience a seizure during their lifetime.
What does a seizure look like
According to Dr. Jacob Pellinen, a neurologist specializing in epilepsy, says that it varies. For some individuals, their seizure is a purely internal sensation. To an inexperienced observer, it may appear as though nothing’s wrong. Most individuals with epilepsy, at first have only relatively subtle, nonconvulsive seizures, then develop convulsive seizures over time.
However, others having seizures experience full-body convulsions with a loss of consciousness. This is the type of seizure most of us are aware of, probably because it’s the kind most often depicted, though not always accurately, in movies and on television. It’s also the riskiest type of seizure.
These kinds of seizures are sudden, unprovoked, and last for a few minutes. After recovering from the convulsions and loss of consciousness, the person is generally fatigued and confused for several minutes to several hours.
If somebody has epilepsy, the seizures they experience will be very similar each time they happen. The most common type of epileptic seizure is those that are focal – that is, they arise from a confined region of the brain. This accounts for two-thirds of cases overall and 99% of cases that occur after the age of 25.
Epileptic seizures may start with nonconvulsive symptoms, including staring, unresponsiveness, repetitive movements, and purely internal sensations, which either stop or progress to convulsions and loss of consciousness.
What causes a seizure to occur
Seizures are the outcome of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The bursts of activity interrupt normal functioning and initiate hyperactivity in the brain area which is affected, which then can affect the corresponding body part.
For example, if the seizure arises from the part of the brain involved in arm movement, that arm will experience involuntary hyperactivity.
How can you help If you’re a bystander?
First, keep the person safe. Many seizure-related injuries happen due to falling or coming in contact with sharp or hard objects. If they start to fall, help them to the floor as mildly as possible and under their head put something soft.
During the convulsive phase of a seizure, breathing may be irregular. So, turn the person on their side so they can breathe more easily and lessen the risk of aspiration.
Do not put anything into their mouth. This is unnecessary and dangerous. It is not possible to swallow your tongue.
Do not restrain or shout at them. None of those things will stop the seizure. Although not everyone with epilepsy has one, check for any noticeable medical identification such as a wristband. If they stop shaking, but remain unresponsive, continue to keep them on their side and observe their breathing.
Following the seizure, and as the person gradually recovers and wakes up, help them to sit up and keep them in a safe area. If they are confused, reorient them and don’t let them walk near roads, stairs or platforms.
Do not give them food or water until they are fully awake. Stay with them until they are fully alert. It’s also important to tell them what happened, and offer to help further.
Keeping track of time is critical. If the seizures last for more than five minutes, or if they begin to cluster back-to-back, such as when another seizure begins before a person fully recovers from the first, then call 911 immediately. Although it is rare, both of these situations are life-threatening emergencies.
You should also call 911 if the person continues to have difficulty breathing; if the person has a seizure in water or is pregnant or if it’s the first time, they’ve experienced a seizure; or if they have the seizure without a diagnosis of epilepsy.
However, if a person diagnosed with epilepsy experiences a habitual seizure, recovers fully, and does not experience any injury, they may not need to go to the emergency room for further evaluation. They should, however, call their doctor.
People with epilepsy, mostly those who experience regular seizures, will most of the time have emergency medications in their possession.
The most common emergency medications which is also called seizure rescue medications are a type of anticonvulsants called benzodiazepines. The most common ones used are midazolam, clonazepam, diazepam and lorazepam.
All are fast-acting medications. Some are tablets to be swallowed, others are dissolvable pills placed in the cheek or under the tongue, and some are gels or nasal sprays for rectal administration. Patients and their caretakers may have access to rescue medications and know how to use them.
